Week one - done!

Well, it's been exactly a week since we started the paleo diet for athletes last Sunday. So far so good! As I noted earlier this week, the biggest issue is TIME. But, I think Justin and I are starting to get in a groove. We were able to chill on the couch Thursday and Friday night.

We've definitely tried some new spices and different foods. A few weeks ago we got butternut squash for the first time in a LONG time (before going paleo) and as I searched for a paleo recipe for it, found one of my favorite new veggie dishes! We also have a spaghetti squash locally grown that I'm going to try to cook up tonight with some ground sirloin and veggies. Hope it turns out well!

I had somewhat of my first challenges this week with a 2.5 hour ride mid-week, and then a long mountain bike ride yesterday. I'm trying to keep the carbs on the ride from drink mix and fruit stuff. Mainly, I start out with a banana, have a Larabar, fruit leathers, and drink mix. Most of the "bike food" I have contains wheat, soy, and rice, so I'm trying to save those for after my "strict" 30-day trial.

I really haven't had any issues with energy levels at all. My fat and protein intake (percentage calories) has gone up a lot, and carbs down. I'm trying to stick mostly to veggies and fruit for carbs. I think we got into the smoothie breakfast a bit too much this past week, so going to try to get back into lean protein and veggies for breakfast unless I've done a trainer ride pre-breakfast, or have a morning ride coming up.

Definitely stoked that my rides have been plenty fueled and I've been feeling pretty good. My legs definitely aren't feeling all that hot after a hard gym session on Thursday, regen on Friday, then a big mountain day yesterday and spin today, but I could be slightly underfueling. I've been eating when hungry. Some days I feel like I do nothing BUT eat!

So, I know everyone likes pictures...

Tuesday I got up and did a pretty solid hour endurance session and made some "homebrew" ish smoothies with applesauce for breakfast, along with black coffee (of course!)



Dinner was broccolini, big salad with veggies (lemon juice, avocado oil, and pepper as dressing), and pork loin.



Dinner, plus left over chicken for later!



Justin on Wednesday hooked it up with grilled salmon on a cedar plank while I sauteed some string beans and roasted broccoli.



Justin also cooked up his newest creation: King Garlic Yardbird I.





Thursday we changed up my mom's recipe of flank steak covered with dried onion soup (due to the sodium content alone I am sure this was NOT paleo-friendly, so didn't even bother to look) to flank steak with dried/chopped onions and some spices. It turned out pretty good! We also used the new massive pan Justin picked up to sautee a grip of peppers, red onion, squash, and zucchini.



Colorful!



Friday (and Saturday) Justin also spent some time in the mornings perfecting another new recipe: blueberry vanilla omelette's.



Justin made omelette's with just eggs and then added some vanilla and heated blueberries. We sprinkled with cinnamon. Very tasty!

Here's another example of a few meals at once:



Wild yellow fin tuna for dinner, leftover salmon for lunch the next day, and leftover chicken still in the fridge.

More sauteed veggies and roasted broccoli.



I was reading another blog or something and found a breakfast recipe for paleo pumpkin smoothies!



Friday night I brewed up green tea, then chilled it overnight in the fridge. Saturday morning I blended the green tea up with about 1/2 can of pumpkin (plain/natural/no additives), ground flax seed, egg white protein powder (natural), a bit of almond butter, and a dash of pumpkin spice. Once blended (I did add a few ice cubes also) I topped off with cinnamon and nutmeg. Delish!



Since I'd eaten plenty on the ride, had a bit of a small dinner last night:



Pork tenderloin and roasted asparagus. I was really really craving sugar last night, but we shared an orange and called it a night.

Looking forward to the coming week! New challenges with Thanksgiving on Thursday and a second get-together with family a few days later! Looking forward to a glass of wine.