So, it has been really quiet last month on Paleolland, but for a good reason!

Btw, for those wondering: “Paleolland” is a combination on paleo + ‘olland (like how the French say Holland). But that’s not what I wanted to write about.

I’ve been travelling the states for almost 8 weeks now, a combination of work-related, academic, meetings and projects, and just fun leisure time. My first 2,5 weeks started in Flagstaff Arizona, together with 6 of my Dutch students, and we visited Phoenix, Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. After that I was 3 weeks on my own, traveling across southern California (San Diego, LA, Lompoc, Monterey, Sequoia National Park, Yosemite and San Francisco). You can believe what an amazing time that was! It was very relaxing to stay in one place after that when I had to visit State College in Pennsylvania, for my work again. Yesterday the last part of my trip started: a two week stay in the big apple!

A had such big plans (and high hopes) for my eating habits during this trip. And indeed the first 2 weeks I managed surprisingly well… and then it slipped a little, and then some more, and then… oh well… let’s not talk about that O_o. It wasn’t too bad (I thought), but breakfast was in fact the only meal each day that I got right. All my clothes still fit, but when I saw myself in the mirror the other day wearing a bikini the truth revealed its ugly face!

A short while ago I watched this amazing documentary: “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. You can watch the whole thing online for free, or see it at the end of this post! I decided to give the veggie juices a go during my stay here in NYC and use them as a tool to clean up my eating again. So, for 5 days, starting today, all daily meals (except for 1) will be substituted with a fresh (preferably organic) vegetable juice (some fruits are ok, but mainly vegetable). The remaining dish will be as paleo as NYC will let me. Let’s see how that makes me feel (and look!)

I have a juicer at home, but have never tried it, it seemed to me that this time was as good as any to jumpstart a new, healthy, habit!

It’s impressive how much vegetables fit in one small cup!

Carrot, beet and celeriac… the other juice without celeriac, but apple and ginger instead tasted a lot better

Maybe not organic, but I was glas to find fresh juice on Time Square!

Besides the Juicing, I’ve started CrossFitting here in the states and I LOVE IT! And I have some big plans with that, but that’s for another post

Love,

Sjanett

Wow, I just found my new favorite paleo dish! I was trying to find Kelb Noodles in my hometown, because I sometimes missed a ‘filling’  when stir-frying or making curry. I had already experimented with Classic Paleo Cauliflower “Rice” and off course Zoodles, and both are great options on a paleo diet. But these simple, cheap, yet delicious cabbage stripes just blew me away

I can image you can combine them with many asian flavors and your favorite protein, and today I made mine with some satay marinated pork tenderloin that I had still lying around in the freezer, and stir-fried it with Bellaverde Broccoli (we call them here asparagus-broccoli, if you can find them, try them they’re delicious!), and cremini mushrooms. Seasoned with some grated ginger, coconut aminos, salt and pepper to taste. Just chop the cabbage, heat some coconut oil in a large skillet, toss in your seasoning and veggies, and let the stir-frying pleasure begin! Just in case you might wonder: I grilled the satay pork bits in a separate grilling pan…

Yum!

Besides clean eating I wrote about the other personal primal guidelines I want to live by (read them here). That I haven’t been doing that for the last couple of years was acknowledged by my doctor this week: I’m suffering from a burnout and/or depression…. I haven’t called in sick, still want to do my work, but I really (like really) need to learn how to relax, and how to deal with workload (especially how to balance a stimulating work environment with my own enthusiasm and ambition). Luckily my workload will be structurally reassessed, and I will be assigned a coach to work on myself.

Just wanted to share how I tackled the relaxation issue yesterday with some help of loving friend (and their beautiful home)

This week I used my crock-pot for the first time to make some nice soup from pumpkin and parsnip (totally in season). It turned out even better than I could have imagined! The slow cooking definitely adds more depth to the dish!

I got the recipe from this nice little Dutch book, although it’s not specific paleo most dishes are suited to paleo-fy and I will absolutely try more of them

I garnished the soup with some air-dried lamb ham from my favorite organic farm shop (www.hetschop.nl)

So, last week my Whole30 ended… and I feel that it’s time for an evaluation of that, together with making some plans for the future.

In case you might wonder what I ate after the whole30: surprisingly whole30 compliant Although I have to admit, I tried it all: a white sandwich with dark chocolate “vlokken”, Cookie Dough ice-cream, mini candy bars and some paleo-fied snacks. Oh, and don’t forget the wine! Not all on the same day of course, and not in big quantities, but I did eat them. And most of them tasted damn good… However, I am more than ever convinced that the paleo diet is our ‘default’  diet, and after this week of walking astray I intend to get back in the saddle and will continuo eating according to the Whole30 guidelines. Why so strict you might wonder? I’m an emotional eater, and to battle that it is easier just nót to eat the bad foods altogether.

First, I don’t want to go back to my old way of eating, that’s for sure. But I do want to incorporate some items back into my menu on occasion. Luckily these foods like dark chocolate, wine, and good cheese can be regarded as reasonable primal compromises. After the Whole30 I want to stick to the 80/20 principle of eating paleo (read more about it on Mark’s Daily Apple).

I’ve tried quite a few new recipes since eating paleo, and I love to browse Pinterest and pin nice paleo recipes to my boards: “healthy-paleo-primal-gluten-free-food” and “crock-pot-slow-cooker-tajine-gluten-free-paleo“. But after this week I decided to create a third one, and moved some of the recipes over: “sex-with-your-pants-on-paleo-fied-snacks“. As the folks over at Whole9 point out: you will sabotage your efforts if you try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into shiny new paleo-fied versions with desserts or junk food made with “approved” ingredients—coconut-flour pancakes, almond-flour muffins, flourless brownies, or coconut milk ice cream. In understand why I would want to do this, it eases the transition, but the longer I’m on paleo, the less this appeals to me. Yes, I do want to indulge sometimes, but my focus now should be on eating healthy and clean, not on eating seemingly “healthy”  junk food (now that is a true contradictory term!)… And I rather indulge in a  night out eating with my friends or an extra glass of wine, than a muffin.

There are a couple of good resources online (see the ultimate paleo diet food list for example), and offline as well (see these books for example) to help you choose the right product to buy.

Second, looking at my work overload and stress levels, I feel that only eating paleo is not enough. I want to live more, be happier, and do the things that I love to do. My dream future farm with donkeys, horses, cows, goats, bunnies, chicken and pigs is still on my mind, but why not start now with living a life more true to myself? How about a Primal-365-days-a-year-way-of-living, and adhere to these personal guidelines.

If you have followed my post during the Whole30 you could have read that I was under a lot of stress, and that I was having relationship troubles. The workload has eased a tiny little bit, just enough for me to realize I am indeed overworked, and overstrung. My energy levels have hit rock bottom and my moods are on an emotional roller coaster. I have some serious soul-searching and recovery to do the following weeks. Hence I intend not to blog as much. I will pay more attention to my personal guidelines….

To conclude, the Whole3o was very very helpful in learning me to understand my body and my reactions to food. I lost some weight, and inches, my skin is healthy and shiny, a feel empowered by the ability to resist bad foods, I fall asleep better, sleep the whole night trough, and have less trouble getting out of bed in the morning, I have more energy (evenly spread throughout the day), my clothes fit better, I look better (people do tell me that!), and I eat less without my “normal” cravings. Some of the things I have learned I will incorporate as much as possible after this:

Let me know if you intend to do a whole30!