Challenge Completed

Well so much for posting each day ~ way too hard and not enough hours in the day.
The 30 day challenge is now complete. So what did I learn /accomplish? I found it was not difficult to eat strictly Paleo with only a couple of bumps in the journey. I had been eating Paleoish prior to this so not as hard as it may have been six months ago. I know that gluten is not my friend and this is something I will not be reintroducing to my diet. On the other hand I missed dairy, I eat very litle dairy but I missed it in my coffee and the occassional yoghurt or cheese.
I am glad that I tried full Paleo but it is not for me, I am going back to my Paleoish lifestyle.
One big positive though was some of the amazing raw food cake/ dessert recipes that I discovered. They fit nicely into the Paleo side of things while at the same time satisfying any sweet cravings. These are still sometimes foods but will be appearing more tonight I am going to make the following will let you know how it goes.

Easy Berry Bliss Cheesecake

Raw - Vegan - Gluten Free

Crust
1 1/2 cups almonds
2/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or water

Grind the almonds into a flour in a food processor.
Add the raisins and continue grinding until broken down.
Add the coconut and vanilla. Grind again to incorporate.
Add another 1/2 - 1 teaspoon water if needed to keep the mixture held together when pressed in your hand.
Press evenly into the bottom of a 12" spring form pan.

Filling
4 1/2 cups berries
3 cups cashews
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
5-6 drops stevia
1 cup melted coconut oil

Blend all but the coconut oil, until smooth. Add the oil and blend again to incorporate.
Pour over the crust. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 8-12 hours.

Blueberry Jelly Topping
1 1/2 cups blueberries
2- 3 medjool dates, chopped
Lemon juice, to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth in a blender. Add a few drops of stevia if needed.
The mixture will thicken as it sits. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Spread on the cheesecake after removing it from the mold.

Day 19 ~ Cooking up a Storm

Friday my favourite day of the working week, why because on Friday I only work doing before and after school care. So the hours in between are mine, well sort of .... sometimes. Today was not one of those days. This morning Mark left with his Dad on their annual footy trip to Nhill leaving me alone with the sloths for just over a week. Of course this morning I also woke with a sore throat and am hoping as I dose myself with vitamin C and throat gargle that I am not succumbing to the bugs that have been plagueing the little ones I look after, so nice of the toddlers to share. Today is also sports carnival for the sloths and although at an age where it is not cool to have Mum come and watch, my presence is tolerated as long as I also bring cash for supplies at the canteen. No crossfit for me today so what's a girl to do ? Solution ? Cook.
I have made my own versions of the meatloaf muffins, a Morrocan Lamb and a chicken version. The verdict from the sloths is that the lamb is the best. I have also made a normal sized chicken and vegetable meatloaf for tomorrow nights dinner and a sweet chilli lamb bolognese style sauce. We shouldn't starve over the next few days at least and I better not hear a sloth say there is nothing to eat. Inspired by my burst of activity the younger sloth decided he too would cook and he produced a wonderful lemon cheese cake which to his delight I cannot eat. So tomorrow I will make something to fill that sweet craving I now seem to have, thinking of this Coconut Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients


1 cup almonds
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup medjool dates, pitted
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Filling:
1 cup coconut, cashew or almond milk
2 cups raw cashews, soaked and drained
½ cup date paste*
⅔ cup fresh lime juice
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup coconut oil

Methods/steps
1. In a food processor, pulse the almonds and coconut into a fine flour.
2. Add the dates, vanilla extract and salt. Pulse until the mixture begins to clump together.
3. Press firmly and evenly into a 9 inch springform pan . Set aside in the refrigerator.
4. In a blender combine the filling ingredients except the coconut oil and blend until smooth.
5. Add the coconut oil and pulse to emulsify.
6. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with shredded coconut.

*date paste is made by soaking dates in warm water until soft. Draining the dates and blending them in a food processor until a smooth, thick paste is created. It stores very well in the fridge.

 Enjoy your weekend and then for the final week of the challenge

Days 15 to 18 ~ plodding along

Well it's been awhile since I have posted anything but to tell the truth things are just trundling along. Eating following challenge guidelines doesn't seem to be daunting and even cravings when they come pass just as quickly. The sloths had their regular pizza night and I had no urge to join them, possibly because it was 'cheap ass' Tuesday and their pizza of choice was of the Dominos variety. Now an Il Forno pizza may have been a different matter. Training once again has been hit and miss due to work hopefully this is something I can pull together as it is frustrating, though still no training tonight due to a massage with Sonja that has left me feeling as though I have been run down by a freight train ...... I will keep with my mantra " this pain is good ...."
Whilst trolling for recipes and inspiration on the myriad of paleo foodie sites I found the following recipe for Meatloaf Muffins with Sweet Potato Icing. I plan to make a double batch for the sloths lunch boxes and to have on hand to snack on .
The Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of minced beef * about 750 grams
1 apple, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Almond meal
basil
nutmeg
garlic powder
*21 seasoning salute

6 small sweet potatoes
nutmeg
cinnamon

The Directions:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 30 minutes or until tender.
Set aside and let cool.
In a large bowl add apple and red bell pepper. Mix in 2 eggs and mix well. Add ground beef and Almond meal and mix well with your hands! Add seasonings. I forgot to add tomato sauce or tomato paste but the flavor was great without.
In muffin tins add meatloaf mixture. My meat filled 12 tins exactly. Bake for 20 minutes or until meatloaf is done. While they are in the oven scoop out the center of the sweet potatoes and mash with a fork. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix a little more. Add the sweet potato mixture into a baggie and cut off one corner (just like if you were going to add icing to something) and top the meatloaf muffins with the sweet potato.

*I am not sure what 21 seasoning salute is but I m sure you could substitute your own mix of spices. Also substituting chicken, pork or lamb mince would also work.

Days 13 & 14 ~ A Working Week-End

Saturday ~ Still in Sydney and still cold, wet and windy outside so it was off to the hotel gym for a WOD. I warmed up with squats, sit-ups and weighted lunges before running on the treadmill at speed for 20 minutes. Exercise done it was time for breakfast, love that it is easy to eat paleo at the breakfast buffet and headed straight for the bacon and eggs (order 2 poached) and whilst waiting for my eggs ate some yummy vegetable frittata. Relying on others for your food choices when away is always a little difficult and when this work trip was organised I was not doing the challenge. I had already though discovered that gluten is not my friend and had asked for gluten free choices. Morning and afternoon teas were not a problem but I was wondering about lunch, I need not have. My gluten free lunch consisted of wagu steak and steamed veges, while the rest of the group had buffet cassorole / pasta choices. I must say quite a few wished they had ordered the gluten free. I do wonder what the response will be if next time I put Paleo as my dietary requirement ..... I didn't stay fully on track though not being able to resist the urge to sample a small taste of the vintage cheddar and blue cheese on offer after lunch.
Sunday ~ Home once more and back to work on the homefront. After a sleep in , housework and shopping done we took the dogs for a walk. They enjoy walking along the foreshore and exploring as much as we do, however it took a while for Rafiki to settle he is used to me taking him for a run (or should I say he takes me for a run). He wasn't sure he liked this just walking thing, Hunter on the other hand loves to amble stopping to sniff and explore all the foriegn scents out and about. Again today I have had dairy in my coffee but on a whole back on track so to speak. Looking forward to the next half of the challenge.

All tuckered out

Day 12 ~ Adventures

OK today has been awesome after yesterdays debarcle. After posting that I was off to do the ropey chipper the stars and planets aligned to work against me. Long story short I never made it. Ah well but today a new chapter.

I flew to Sydney this morning to attend a work meeting......... tomorrow, which meant today I was free to do as I pleased. The day started well with the pre-booked cab on time and airport traffic minimal. On arrival I looked at the queues and decided I wouldn't check my bag but carry it onboard. Today the gods were happy because on presenting myself at the service counter (I had an exit row seat) I was told the plane for my flight had changed and I was no longer in an exit row. This however was a good thing because her next sentence was how we you like to leave earlier? Five minutes later I was boarding, a whole extra hour of shopping awaited. On arrival at the  hotel prepared to stow my bag I was greeted with your room is ready now, yay. So unpacked and settled it was off to explore, the weather was unpleasant so decided to stay away from harbour and water and confine my wandering to the city. I adjourned to a coffee shop to warm up and get my bearings, on unfurling my tourist map the woman seated at the next table started a conversation with me giving my tips and directions of where to go and what to see. As the conversation continued I discovered I was chatting with a Kings Cross Madam, she was a wealth of information and history and an hour later I finally went on my way. I enjoyed a full day walking, shopping and exploring including Paddys Markets and lunch in China Town. My food intake today has been Paleoish with milk in my coffee and my lunch time seafood laska had noodles ( which I actually left consuming the seafood/veges and broth). Dinner was a takeout from near the hotel Chilli coconut fish with eggplant ~ delish though strange looks when I requested no rice. So many choices for food. No WOD today but I am sure I had things pretty much covered with all my walking, most of it into a headwind. I knew the winds had been strong when nearly knocked off my feet by sudden gusts during the day but until I saw the evenings news reports of roofs being blown off did I realise how strong they were. Think it will be good to be indoors tomorrow out of the wind and rain.
Have a fabulous  weekend everyone

Day 11 ~ Crash and Burn

Well maybe not quite as extreme as that but today has been challenging in several ways. Unwell cherubs here who have been grumpy and whiny, making me grumpy and whiny. As the day wore on and none of my little charges would rest (and if they didn't need to I needed a respite from them) the general mood became worse and worse. The straw that broke the camels back .....After an hour and a half of crying and not being able to be consoled the 16 month old gave in to all their frustration and bit me, at the same moment the message came through from Mum saying she was held up in traffic and would arrive as soon as possible. At this rate instead of the early pickup I had requested due to child being unwell was going to extend to normal time, oh well. So at afternoon tea and with any forethought what so ever, when offered some Doritos by one of the schoolies I mindlessly ate a handful before my brain even kicked in and I realised what I was stuffing my face with. So my first major paleo pothole. I must say how easy it was to fall into bad eating habits due to a little stress, scarily easy. So I have decided next time we are all grumpy and whiny it will be outside to run about and use up some of the excess energy and de-stress rather than dig into the chip packet.
On whole different level have just seen todays' Crossfit Desire WOD
Ropey Chipper

2 Rope Climbs
50 Situps
50 Ring Push Ups
50 Lunges (each leg)
50 Double Unders
50 Chest to Overhead 40/20kg
50 Wallballs 10/5kg
400m Run
I think this will be crash and burn for real

Day 10 ~ Cravings

Into double digits and the cravings have started, only the fact that I didn't have any money on me prevented me from buying a large vanilla latte on the school run today. Not sure where the craving came from but I would have killed for one, thankfully it passed. The next was whilst out with the cherubs they had been promised hot chippies as a treat and it took all my will power not to chow down with them. Finally it was after dinner watching the olympics, Mark was settled enjoying a glass of red wine and I swear I could hear the bottle of winter cider calling my name from the fridge door. Usually it never crosses my mind to have a drink with/after dinner during the week even though Mark quite often has a drop of red. I am not sure in the scheme of things what this actually means. Are others having cravings as well? What are your cravings?
On the crossfit side as predicted I couldn't remove myself from my bed in the early morn so no training today. However tomorrow is a new day, wonder what it will bring?