Craving something sweet

So, this marks my third week on the paleo diet and although I've managed to avoid all those things I thought I'd struggle with giving up, I have started to feel the need for something sweet. I started with freezing banana chunks, which have been great. But I find I tend to eat way too many bananas in a day this way.

I made a quick stop at Trader Joe's yesterday and perused their dried fruit section. Most everything was sweetened or freeze dried, which I don't like because the strawberries are more like flakes than anything I can sink my teeth into.

As I kept looking, I came across "Just Mango Slices," which were unsulfured and unsweetened. I've got to admit, my expectations were pretty low. I was expecting the mango to taste more like cardboard. When I opened the package, the strong smell of mango was divine. This really elevated my expectations, which honestly, were not let down! The mango was so good, chewy and sweet and just so tasty. In fact, I'm almost done with the package and it's been a day!

The package says the serving size is four pieces, which is about 120 calories. No fat of course. I probably eat about six slices in a sitting, although today I've had a few more than that! I'm really surprised at how tasty it is. I'm planning on buying another pack for my trip to Delaware this weekend, although I need to be careful not to overdose on this! Definitely a really tasty snack that satisfies the sweet tooth.

It's the simple things that keep you happy and help you through paleo!

To a new year and new adventures

It's hard to believe 2012 went by so quickly! It was such a big year for me. New job, big move, long runs! Here's hoping 2013 is full of some great opportunities . . . and that appears to be the case so far.

The first half of my year is packed with travel, including Toronto, Phoenix, Paris (and hopefully a few side trips to Amsterdam and Belgium). They are back to back trips, so I'll be a busy woman, packing and unpacking and trying to avoid the dreaded flu.

My goal is to run another two half marathons this year. I'll plan to run the Lynchburg race in August, my third year in a row, but need to find another, flatter race to run. I'd also like to add a couple of 10Ks as well, but I'm not sure I'll run another marathon for at least another year. I'm waiting for the running bug to catch me again...it's been hard to get my head in the game where long distance running is concerned.

Crossfit is still going well - I actually love it, even though I still have to scale some of the exercises. I still can't do a handstand pushup, but it's a goal of mine this year. Everyone is so supportive and I love competing against myself and seeing what I'm really made of. I can now backsquat 95 pounds, which isn't a ton, but a lot for me!

And I've even joined the paleo bandwagon and am doing a 30 day challenge with a colleague of mine. This is week three, and I've lost almost eight pounds so far. I definitely see the benefits in cutting out all the junk of course, and while I've done pretty well cravings wise, occasionally all I can think about are waffles or peanut butter...Once I get through the thirty days, I'm committed to sticking with paleo five days a week and giving myself two days to splurge a little, within reason. I read that it will actually help reset my metabolism that way. We'll see how long I can keep up with it. I lost 40 pounds eating regular foods, but I noticed the past few months, I was binge eating and allowing myself to eat things I had given up for quite some time...too many baked goods, candy, and just junk. My regular meals were pretty healthy, but the in-between was slowing me down.

I will say this though, Paleo has really helped me expand my cooking repertoire. I've made a great vegetable soup base, which I added shrimp to in one batch and clams and sweet potatoes to in another. I'm going to try chicken next. My brother gave me a crock pot for Christmas and that has come in handy with some pretty tasty chicken dishes. I've also been a big proponent of shrimp lately and stumbled across a really tasty paleo coconut shrimp recipe, which I adapted to chicken too. I'll share the recipe the next time I make it and can post photos.

My breakfast has been the same every morning and I definitely struggle with the fact that eventually that's going to get really boring. But it appears that the only type of egg I can eat without ketchup or cheese is basically scrambled eggs...although I did manage to FINALLY make a perfect omelette the other night, so maybe there is hope. I've been really proud of myself for not indulging in ketchup or ranch dressing the past two weeks - those were certainly crutches and staples of mine. Balsamic vinegar has helped in the salad department. But I need to find new ways to eat breakfast. Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and strawberries is going to get old at some point.

So that's my quick update. As I venture further into crossfit and paleo, I hope to post more often. And of course, I'll share my adventures traveling, which never seem to disappoint.

Til then . . .