I'm so excited for everyone that signed up for the Paleo Challenge! People really gave it their all in the benchmark WOD and are setting the bar high to improve.
A few clarifications on the point system:
Your Food Points = the Level of Paleo you successfully ate at that day.
My Monday for example:
Breakfast - black coffee, 2 strips bacon, 2 eggs, 1/2 c. blackberries, spoonful of almond butter, fish oil
Lunch - 8 oz tilapia (2 large fillets), homemade poblano chile salsa, 1/2 avocado, 2 c. sauteed spinach, fish oil
Pre-Workout Snack - 1/2 c. raspberries, handful of almonds, black coffee
Post-Workout Recovery - GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein
Dinner - 6 oz. pork tenderloin, 3 c. broccoli, spoonful of almond butter, fish oil
For this I would get 8 Food Points - no sugar (my almond butter and bacon is sugar free - make sure you check) L1, no grains L2, no pseudo-grains L3, no legumes L4, no alcohol or natural sugars L5, no dairy L6, no squash or starchy vegetables L7, only 2 servings of fruit L8.
Read those labels!
If I had eaten one of those meals at a restaurant, I would lose 1 point. If I ordered exactly what you see I ate at lunch, but it were at a restaurant that's great! That meal is a Level 8 quality meal. We want you to make good choices at restaurants so be mindful of what you order and try to make it as close to the level you're eating at as possible. However, since we cannot completely control what goes into our food at restaurants - minus 1 point for the meal out.
If I had jumped off the diving board nose first into the deep end of a large bowl of cheesy pasta full of beans with a Snickers bar for dessert, this would be an additional MINUS 1 point. That minus 1 cheat point is for when we really go off the reservation. So a Level 0 meal, that minus 1 comes from if you got sleep or WOD points that day.
We are NOT doing negative points. We're not going to penalize you today for something you did yesterday. Everyday is a fresh start so approach it that way - everyday aim to eat the level you want to perform at.
Hope this clarifies some questions. And now for a delicious recipe....(and I say that despite hating carrots - this meal is legit)
Gingered Carrots with Mahi Mahi
4 carrots, sliced
3 tablespoons grass fed butter or
coconut oil
5 green onions, diced
½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 pound of mahi mahi pieces or
other white fish of your choice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon coconut aminos or 1/2
teaspoon of wheat free tamari
Fresh ground black pepper and sea
salt to taste
Saute the carrots in 2 tablespoons of the butter or coconut oil
over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until the carrots start to brown.
While the carrots are cooking, mix the chicken broth, coconut aminos or
tamari and black pepper together in a bowl and set aside. Add the green
onions to the carrots and cook for another minute. Add the lemon juice,
ginger, and garlic to the pan and sauté just until the veggies are coated with
the ginger and garlic. Sprinkle with a little sea salt, stir again, and
remove the carrot mixture from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining
tablespoon of butter or coconut oil to the same pan and melt over medium heat.
Add the fish pieces and cook for 1 minute on each side, making sure that your
pan is nice and hot so that the fish sear and turn golden brown on each side.
Now, pour the chicken broth mixture that you made earlier over the fish, cover
and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes or until the fish is tender and flakes apart
easily. Do not overcook!! Serve the fish over the gingered carrots
and be ready to fall in love…. Serves 2-3 adults. I recommend
doubling this recipe!!
