After reading Erica’s post, I noticed she casually mentioned that she set her oven on fire. Oh no big deal. I wasn’t going to let her get away with not filling me in on the deetz. If you need a good laugh, please see below.
So there you have it. A little peek into the mishaps that occur in our kitchens on a day to day basis. Sort of reminds me of the time my blender exploded ALL over the floor, ceiling, cabinets, and doors in my kitchen. Gooood times, people, good times.
-Emily
Sorry for absolutely sucking and being MIA for the last week or so. Work was taking over my life. But, I am back! Woohoo! Super big thanks to Emily for picking up my slack, I owe ya big. Maybe I’ll attempt to make you some Paleo cupcakes this week. However, I’ve sort of banished myself from the kitchen after setting my oven on fire last week. So those cupcakes might have to wait.
Anyways, I must admit, I can’t take ownership for the recipe I am about to gush about. My dad stepped it up yesterday and made an amazing fish dinner. After the Paleo seminar a couple weeks back, my family and I have been trying to up our fish intake. I had a bad salmon experience last summer so it’s been sort of tough to get back in the saddle (is that even the right expression?). But, I’m off to a good start! Three successful fish recipes in a row! I would share the other two other recipes, but they are honestly very unexciting. So, I’ll work on a good one for you guys next week.
So, here it is! I didn’t include exact measurements since it really depends on the size of the fish and personal preference. Like garlic? Add a ton! Not a fan of olives? Don’t use them! The possibilities are endless!
Ingredients:
Directions:
This recipe made me want to have my own little herb garden like woah. Is it too late to start one? Maybe I’ll look into it this weekend. I mean it can’t be that hard. I also want chickens in my back yard. A lady from the gym got that idea in my head. How awesome would it be to have fresh eggs every morning?! My boss told me chickens are smelly, but whatever, they will be outside. I’m sure my neighbors will love it. Do any of you have an herb garden or own chickens? I need to know!
-Erica
Tuesday again? Holy balls. Where did the last week go? Apologies for not posting yesterday, there’s a nasty fever bug thing going around Boston and I was lucky enough to get struck with it this weekend. I can’t remember the last time I had a fever! It sucked. I had to sub out my class on Sunday, and was debating subbing it out this morning, but was so glad I took it. I really think I proved the theory that the best way to get rid of a fever is to sweat it out 
Speaking of spinning (I’m always speaking of spinning) Friday night I went out for drinks with all of the other lovely instructors at Recycle. It was so fun to all go out and catch up. Usually, we only pass each other going in and out of the studio, where we’re rushing to start a class or are just finishing one. Shockingly, we were able to recognize each other wearing makeup and normal clothes!
Rachele, Cate, Aly, Katie, myself, Meredith and Christina
The ReBoot ladies! Indulging in some ginger margaritas- SO good.
At one point, I got into a conversation with Katie, The Aspiring RD (no longer aspiring, she just graduated! Woot woot!), about Paleo. I love talking to Katie about nutrition because she really knows her shiz. We talked about the differences between eating Paleo and “eating clean”, and what made the most sense for longevity. While the 2 lifestyles of eating are very similar, there’s 2 big differences that are worth pointing out.
Eating Clean
Paleo
via OhRheally (with some editing by moi)
As you can see, the two biggest differences are that there’s no grains or dairy on Paleo, whereas you can have both food groups on Eat Clean (not sure if this is an official movement that’s deserving of capital letters, but I just made it one. Ha!). After comparing the two lists, I definitely fall somewhere in the middle. I lean way more on the Paleo side, as I don’t eat grains, legumes, or gluten, but I haven’t fully cut out dairy. I realized that eating yogurt and milk made me feel bloated and gas-y (TMI, whatever) so I gradually just cut that out. However, I have NOT been able to say goodbye to cheese or ice cream. That being said- I don’t eat those things every day (I wish I could live off of ice cream..). And alcohol? I know that’s a no-no on both lists, but I’m only human. A girl’s gotta get her drink on every now and then! But I really don’t even drink that much. Mostly because I’m a huge lightweight and I get tipsy off the smell of alcohol, and I turn into a mega bitch when I’m hungover. I’m not a fun person to be around. Woof.
Drink of choice: Water on the rocks
Also- it’s worth pointing out that there seems to be a huge stigma around eating Paleo. If I mention it to someone, they immediately think that I have a garage full of spears to go out killing my own animals with. Since Paleo has become all the rage lately, there are a lot of negative connotations associated with the lifestyle. Maybe because it seems so extreme to some people. And there are a lot of people out there who DO take it to the extreme (I’ve read blogs about people only eating raw meat and gathering their own fruits and vegetables). I think people automatically assume that all people who eat Paleo eat that way, but it’s just not true. I prefer my meat cooked, thank you very much!
Anyways, I think the bottom line is to find a diet (as in general diet, not like Slim Fast situation) that works for you. Find what makes you feel good. Listen to your body. Start keeping a food journal and write down how you feel after you eat certain foods. Do you have energy? Feel bloated? Cramped? Take notes and take care of yourself.
Where do you guys fall into the Eat Clean vs Paleo realm? See anything that should be added to the list? I’m going to be having the ladies over this summer to share some Paleo goodness- what should I make to show them how awesome it is? Gimme something easy.. that I can’t F up… 
-Emily
Discovered some awesome new music this week and was probably too excited about my playlists. Check ‘em out!
My two favorites from this week were most definitely Yarbrough & Peoples and Coolio. You need to listen to them, right now.
Awwww yeaaah. Don’t stop the music.
Gotta gotta get up to GET DOWN. You know I will be listening to these songs on repeat for the rest of the day. And they will be making more appearances in upcoming playlists. You’re welcome.
HAPPY FRIDAY!
-Emily
I used to hate Tuesdays. They’re pretty dreary days. You get over the shock of Monday, and being back at work and getting into the swing of things. At the end of the day on Monday, you think to yourself “okay, that wasn’t so bad, I can get through this” only to wake up the next day and find out that it’s Tuesday, not Friday. Womp womp. Such a tease. Wednesdays are like “okay, halfway there”, Thursdays are like “tomorrow is Friday!!” and Friday is like “OH HELL YES”. I don’t even need to describe the joys of Saturdays and Sundays. But Tuesdays? So pointless.
However, my outlook on Tuesdays totally changed since I started teaching a Tuesday morning class. There’s always a great crowd there who seem to hate Tuesdays as much as me, because they’re always gearing up like beasts and kicking ass. Needless to say, these classes have been making me warm up to the idea of Tuesday. It really is crazy how a good workout first thing in the morning can alter your energy and mood throughout the entire day.
Another reason I’m warming up to Tuesday: Wednesday morning. I wake up at 5 on Wednesdays to do the sign in at the studio and take class, which means homegirl needs to be in bed by 10 on Tuesday night. As a result, Tuesday night has kind of become my “me” night. I know that sounds really lame- whatevaaah. I devote Tuesday nights to cooking up a bunch of food for the rest of the week, and last night I was feeling a liitttlleee crazy, so I “whipped up” some banana cashew butter. Yes, you read that right. Banana. Cashew. Butter
I was inspired by PaleOMGs’ banana bread recipe. I made it about 5 times last month (no I don’t wanna talk about it) and always ended up licking my food processor clean because the cashew banana combo tasted so good. I’m trying to avoid paleo baked goods for a little while (bikini season, anyone?) but had 2 ripe bananas that were going to go to waste, so I got a little crazy and modified the recipe to make a spreadable butter.
Ingredients:
And then you just mix it all together in your food processor. And consume. And be happy. Great by the spoonful or as a spread on fruit. I enjoyed some with some dates (the food, not men) while indulging in my new favorite Tuesday night “me time” guilty pleasure- Real Housewives of OC. OMG do you guys watch this show?! It’s so horrible yet so addicting. I’m a huge fan of the new girl, Heather, because she speaks her mind and basically makes fun of every other girl on the show. Oh and because she has a marble seating area in her BATHROOM with her initials monogrammed on the floor and offers her friends champagne as she finishes her hair. Insane. Yes, Heather and Tamra are my favorites, I can’t stand Alexis and Vicki, and Gretchen’s cool. Slade’s a loser. When is that girl gonna wake up?!
Anyways. Make the nut butter. Warm up to Tuesdays. Be happy.
-Emily
A little inspiration to get you through the rest of the week. Oh, and listen to this while you get inspired. As my teacher this morning put it this morning, “Sledgehammers are hard, tough, and strong” So go on and be a…… SLEDGEHAMMER. Why don’t you call my name? Singing at your desk is encouraged.
-Emily
all images via Pinterest
Hi! How was everyone’s weekend? Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, but Monday was such a blur, I’m counting today as the beginning of the week. 4 day week! Woo! (Not really).
We finally had some gorgeous weather here in Boston. I spent most of my day on Saturday rotating between laying out on my deck and the beach. It was the perfect opportunity to finally dive into The Paleo Diet for Athletes, which has been sitting on my nightstand for the past 4 months. Life has been so busy lately! I hate when I don’t have time to read. I try to read at night before going to bed, but the combination of Kava tea and physical exhaustion make keeping my eyes open a struggle.
So far, I’m pretty fascinated by everything I’m reading. I feel like I’ve been semi-slacking on eating clean lately, and reading stuff like this is always a good motivation to get back on track. What I like most about this book is that it is specifically geared towards athletes, and explains exactly why your body performs at its peak when eating a primal diet.
I won’t get into the super science-y stuff here (mostly because I have to read it over and over again before I actually understand it) but wanted to share the most interesting points I’ve come across so far. Dr. Cordain has a great breakdown of what you should eat before, during, and after your workouts to achieve prime performance. Thought this would be good incentive for everyone heading into the week! I’m going to go ahead and copy and paste directly from a more knowledgeable source, because if I tried to paraphrase, it would end up in doodles.
In brief, we recommend that athletes eat low to moderate glycemic index carbohydrates at least two hours prior to a hard or long workout or race. There may also be some fat and protein in this meal. All foods should be low in fiber. Take in 200 to 300 calories for every hour remaining until exercise begins. If eating two hours prior is not possible, then take in 200 or so calories 10 minutes before the workout or race begins.
During long or hard workouts and races you will need to take in high glycemic index carbohydrates mostly in the form of fluids. Sports drinks are fine for this. Find one that you like the taste of and will drink willingly. Realize that events lasting less than about an hour (including warmup) don’t require any carbohydrate. Water will suffice for these. A starting point for deciding how much to take in is 200 to 400 calories per hour modified according to body size, experience and the nature of the exercise (longer events require more calories than short).
In the first 30 minutes postworkout (but only after long and/or highly intense exercise) and postrace use a recovery drink that contains both carbohydrate and protein in a 4-5:1 ratio. You can buy a commercial product such as Ultrafit Recovery™ (www.ultrafit.com) for this. Or you can make your own by blending 16 ounces of fruit juice with a banana, 3 to 5 tablespoons of glucose (such as CarboPro) depending on body size, about 3 tablespoons of protein powder, especially from egg or whey sources and two pinches of salt. This 30minute window is critical for recovery. It should be your highest priority after a hard workout or race.
For the next few hours (as long as the preceding challenging exercise lasted) continue to focus your diet on carbohydrates, especially moderate to high glycemic load carbohydrates along with protein at a 4-5:1 carbprotein ratio. Now is the time to eat nonoptimal foods such as pasta, bread, bagels, rice, corn and other foods rich in glucose as they contribute to the necessary carbohydrate recovery process. Perhaps the perfect Stage IV foods are raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
Recovery For the remainder of your day, or until your next Stage I, return to eating a Paleo Diet by focusing on optimal foods. For more information on the Paleo Diet go to www.thepaleodiet.com or read The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain, Ph.D.
via Training Peaks
What I found most interesting is that he recommends eating non-Paleo foods such as pasta, bread, or bagels immediately after working out. But only during that specific time period. Say whaaat?!
I’m going to continue to avoid doing that just because of my gluten sensitivity, but found it interesting nonetheless. Also- he recommends having sports drinks during extra long workouts. I also disagree with that, just because I find drinks like Gatorade and Powerade make my stomach cramp up, and I prefer sticking to just H2O when exercising.
How do you guys feel about that? Does anyone else stick to a primal diet but carb load after an intense workout? Any Gatorade fiends? Is this information as shocking to you as it is to me?! Spill the beans!
-Emily
