No junk in my trunk

I am Paleolithic Woman (almost)

You may remember me making a few diet promises a while ago. Well, I kind of did ok, but I cheated a few times - it's hard doing this sort of thing on your own. And I have a real problem with willpower, especially when it comes to food. So it was perfect timing that CrossFit Hutt Valley decided to launch their "No Junk in my Trunk" challenge with their gym members. This involves clearing my diet of all processed food, grains, sugar and dairy. The resulting foods left in my fridge and pantry should be meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Oh, and eggs. Basically it is living a modern-day version of how our old hunter-gatherer paleolithic ancestors would have lived. 

Those who eat a mostly paleo diet already have just gone straight for full-on clean eating. For the rest of us, we are gradually easing ourselves in. So in the first week I cut out 'obvious' refined sugar (no cakes, biscuits, lollies, chocolate, etc), last week it was wheat that got the chop. This week I'm feeling brave enough to go completely grain free. And it really helps that other more experienced paleo-eaters are sharing their delicious  recipes. 

So far I have had easy and not-so-easy days... 

Cutting out sugar was relatively easy, as was wheat - only fell off the wagon accidentally a couple of times, just by finishing up the baby's dinner without thinking. I had one day halfway through the second week where I had some intense sweet cravings and really wanted a biscuit. So I had one, but I didn't beat myself up about it.  

I'm only a day into this grain-free week, but it has been pretty intense already in terms of thinking what to feed myself. I didn't really get myself prepared very well, which was a bit short-sighted of me. But I've held onto my promise to myself, and really proud that I even got through the day without a single forbidden item passing my lips.  

This morning I woke up in a panic, we were running late for our first appointment of the day and I didn't have a clue what to make - then I saw a post on facebook from those lovely people at CrossFit about their breakfast smoothie. Phew! Got a ton of berries in the freezer and a banana in the fruit bowl - and I'm still allowed milk this week, so I had a beautiful deep purple banana and blueberry smoothie. 

Lunchtime had to be a quick turnaround, so three jumps at the fridge and I had made myself a pumpkin, broccoli and quorn curry. Quorn is fake meat - possibly not very paleo, but I was in a hurry, and it's not yet on my 'do not eat' list. It is made from mycoprotein (a kind of fungus). The resulting curry wasn't the most delicious thing I've ever made, but it did the trick. 

I'd had my evening meal planned for ages - been looking forward to replicating a chorizo frittata that I'd eaten a couple of times at the lighthouse cinema. So, while the baby was occupied eating her own dinner (mini vegetable frittatas - she's not on the diet, but dinner was a good paleo effort from her too!), I roasted some kumara and chorizo, mixed it all together with some beaten egg, and some lumps of cream cheese, topped it with some more cheese for good measure (making the most of still having dairy!), and baked it.  I also caremelised some onions to go with it. Even my carb-loving hubby said he'd eat it again. AND he doesn't even like frittata usually. I'm pretty sure Paleolithic Woman would have made something similar for her husband with woolly mammoth sausages and moa eggs. 

 

So that's my first day - I survived. I didn't go hungry, I snacked on dates and nuts, and I haven't felt deprived. Except at playcentre, when one of the other mums had made the most delicious looking chocolate cake, and the smell made me want to bury my face in it. 

Well, I'm only human.