not surprisingly, over the past few weeks, i have had alot of friends and family that are interested in and even started eating paleo. (yay!)
of course, with any new lifestyle change or diet - comes questions. one question that i have received quite often relates to sweet tooths and drinks. beyond water and green tea as in the paleo diet, if you look at the "basic guidelines" there isn't much else - especially in the dessert area.
to me one of the most fun parts of paleo is using the list of "approved" foods and finding creative ways to replace the things i and (we) loved so much pre-paleo
so if you are one of those struggling not so much on the grains and dairy part and more on craving your favorite sweet drink or slice of cheesecake - here are some of my favorite paleo approved foods/drinks that will help to stay on track.
keep in mind though - all of these should be eaten in moderation. a cookie is still a cookie :)
SWEET DRINKS:
side note: it is actually encouraged to have a "sweet" drink once in a while to keep you thirsty as only drinking water will not aid in that continuing "thirst"
coconut water:
hate coconut? me too! well, that is until i tried un-sweetened and unprocessed coconut. it is much milder than what you have probably tried. this is the brand that i have tried and they have almost a whole shelf just for coconut water now - even this past week in vegas - they now have it in the regular convenience stores near the water. just remember to get the unsweetened or "no sugar added" :)
fruit water:
so unfortunately, coconut water isn't cheap. but you know what is? home-made fruit water!
my wonderfully creative husband came up with this a few weeks ago. since going paleo, we definitely have an abundance of fruit around the house so making this is pretty damn easy.
all he did was cut and mash about 4-5 strawberries and added about 1-2 tablespoons of agave nectar (you could also use honey) and then added water! thats it!
note: this still counts towards your carb and sugar intake so don't overdo it and still drink plenty of regular water!
nightime drinking:
well, it is friday and i'm sure some of you plan on doing a little happy hour action, so i thought i would take this opportunity to mention what the best paleo drinks are:
red wine and TEQUILA!
when i say tequila, i don't necessarily mean your standard margarita since that triple sec isn't exactly sugar free :)
BUT, below is probably the best "paleo" drink there is according to Robb Wolf (author of The Paleo Solution)
its what he calls the "NorCal Margarita"
2 shots of gold tequila
Juice of 1 lime
Splash of Club Soda
PALEO SWEETS:
Ok, now on to the good stuff. SWEETS!
Below is some AWESOME paleo brownies
you can get the recipe here:
(there is even an option for a vegan version!)
paleo chocolate chip cookies! horray!
hint: the semi-sweet chocolate chips from whole foods are amazing in this recipe!
you can find the recipe from my previous post:
trail mix bars:
ok, so from the name of these, they don't seem like "sweet treat" but they are! i used dried blueberries and they are awesome! i found myself snacking on these more than the cookies!
recipe as follow:
ingreds:
.5 c slivered almonds
.5 c pecans
1/4 c almond flour/meal
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c almond butter
1/4 c coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp raw honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup of dried cranberries or dried blueberries
directions:
on a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown @ 350 degrees
once toasted, pour mixture in food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped (coarsely ground)
in a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter in microwave (20 secs)
remove and stir until smooth
add vanilla extract, honey, and sea salt
mix thoroughly
fold in nut mixture and almond meal until mixed thoroughly
fold in blueberries and/or cranberries
press mixture into an 8" x 4" loaf pan (or closest size)
REFRIDGERATE for about an hour before eating
keep in fridge for storing
(ps - this makes a GREAT pre-workout snack!)
WORKOUT TREATS:
so, josh and i have been needing some good gym shoes since joining our new gym. well, at least for me, i have just been wanting some super crazy bright shoes :)
last weekend we got a notification from our gym that luke's locker had the nike frees 30% off! so we got over there right away and got us a pair!
MUSCLE SORENESS RECOVERY:
so not saying that this will rid your muscles from all soreness after a good workout, but i am saying this makes them feel A LOT better
its called "foam roller" and the insert gives you a whole bunch of ways to use it depending on where in your body you are aching and need relief.
josh got this for me at academy for about $40
don't want to spend $40 on some good old foam?
you can get a similar size width of PVC pipe from lowes or homedepot and cut it down to about 4 or 5 feet.
its cheaper AND actually works better :)
WORKOUT CLOTHING:
so, i am definitely not one to spend loads of money on workout clothes. especially, since there are places like old navy and target around.
one item i DEFINITELY won't spend a load of cash on?
work out tops.
but thankfully target is awesome and has these! right now they are on sale for $8!
that means its only $24 for 3! usually you can maybe get 2 for that but more like only 1!
FRIDAY SIDE NOTES:
so, hands down - my favorite spring trend?
BRIGHT COLORS!!!
i get so happy every time i walk into target since that is their "trend collection" right now!
in about 2 months josh and i and three other couples are going to mexico. when i saw these at target for ONLY $12.99! I got a pair for myself and the three other girls! so excited!
can you guess which color is mine? ;)
so not only do i love bright colors but i also love skinny jeans!
so what is my new obsession? bright skinny jeans :)
white: target for $24.99
red: old navy for $24.99
coral: forever 21 for $14.50
teal: target for $24.99
blue: forever 21 for $14.50
thats 5 pairs of fun jeans for less than $125 (including tax)!
bright, cheap, skinny jeans ftw :)
happy friday!
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