I received a free copy of It Starts with Food to review; however, the opinions are solely my/his own. Co-written with fellow Paleo/CrossFit friend, Getty. Lots of authors have attempted to help readers implement a paleo/primal lifestyle into their home, which is a massive topic to cover in one book and can lose you in either the recipes, rules,...
read moreI hid behind her. She was funny and smart and friendly. People liked her and gravitated towards her humor and personality. I stood in her shadow and rooted for her. She tried and failed. But she tried. She had jagged scars on her belly, thighs, breasts. Some were road maps of the babies she carried; others there before she was twelve years old and...
read moreI cut out all sugar last Monday. As in everything. No fruit, no honey, no alcohol, and very, very limited dairy (literally just a splash of cream in my coffee). I’m mostly following Diane’s (of Balanced Bites) 21-Day Sugar Detox, in case any of you want more info and more science than I am qualified to give. I did this for a number...
read moreAfter eating this way for the last 18 months, I can honestly say that it is one of the easiest, simplest ways to live your life. Eat Real. Food. The end. But I know it’s not that easy starting out, especially when you’re new and trying to unlearn things that have been drilled into our heads for our whole lives (eat whole grains! lots...
read moreToday I ran my first race. I completed the Muddy Monster 5K in Cedar Rapids. Six months ago, when I started Crossfit, I couldn’t run a 400, (1/4 mile) without stopping to walk. I’ve actually never attempted to run 5K in my entire life. Today I ran 3.17 miles (we started at the back of the pack) and finished my first 5K in a...
read moreSo, I finally broke that plateau and this morning weighed in at 201 – a weight I haven’t seen since my honeymoon. From around 300 pounds at 21 years old: I started my weight loss journey on my own. I hired a trainer and went to a nutritionist (who now I realize was an idiot but whatever) Shortly after, around 240 or so, I met...
read moreAfter reading my blogs and seeing the progress both my husband and I have had following this primal lifestyle, a lot of my friends have either made the switch or at least made changes for the better. That humbles me in a way I didn’t think possible. That you guys make my recipes, find inspiration in my stories, or take control of your health...
read moreI didn’t drink all weekend and if we’re being frank, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I missed my cocktails with Mike as we watching TV after a long week. And I missed the beer in my hand was we watched the mothergoatlicking Jets beat Buffalo. But in not drinking, I got in two extra workouts this weekend in the form of some...
read moreHere’s my food log from yesterday. I thought I was on track by lunch to hit the 1250-1500 calorie range I was aiming for (god, I HATE counting) by by dinner I realized I was still shy. So I ate a stalk of celery and a big ol’ globful of peanut butter in order to get me close to 1400. The good news? It seems to be working. The scale...
read moreEven before going primal, I was a big cook. And now that I cook upwards of twice a day and we very rarely order or go out, the items I have in my kitchen have become even more important to me and my lifestyle. Here are some of my kitchen items I can’t live without. 1) My KitchenAid stand mixer. If it wasn’t a million...
read moreBefore I even went Primal, I had read about Coconut oil and we started using it here and there, mostly for pan frying and such because I read of some bad reports about Canola oil. Then as I read The Primal Blueprint (don’t forget to enter the giveaway – today’s the last day), I saw just how prevalent and integral it was to...
read more(Note: I started writing this and realized just how extensive it is, so I’m going to break this up into a few different parts. Today, we’ll focus on the natural sweeteners and any discussion and questions you have regarding them.) I’ve gotten a number of e-mails from friends and new followers who ask me about sweeteners: is...
read moreYesterday was my son Sawyer’s second birthday. See how cute he is? Also note that he’s shoving a cucpcake in his face-hole. Though I did provide primal treats (lemon bars and brownie bites that were both refined-sugar-free and grain-free), I also provided my guests with the traditional fare of crackers, chips, buns for their burgers...
read moreA friend e-mailed me this morning and said she was going food shopping today and wanted to start stocking her house with some primal-friendly foods. So I mentally walked through my house – my pantry, my fridge, the freezer – and compiled a list of stuff I always try and keep stocked and on hand at all times. Cost was an issue so I...
read moreI haven’t been eating this way all that long. As a matter of fact, up until the past couple of months, I was on the Conventional Wisdom (CW) bandwagon of low-fat, high-fiber, low-calorie, high-grain is the way to be healthy and lose weight. (and ironically was no longer losing the 15% of additional body fat I needed to lose to get into a...
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