52 Pick-Up Challenge: Week #2

*This series of Friday posts is inspired by the blog entry--52 Pick-Up Paleo Style by Amy Kubal via robbwolf.com. Each post is based on this premise that Dietary Ruts = Kitchen Boredom -> Healthy Eating FAIL! So each week, I plan to share with you one meal from the previous week that I tried and enjoyed to help me stave off the boredom in my weekly meal plan.

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One of the most interesting lessons I’ve learned over the past few months of eating a “Paleo-ized diet” is how prominent sugars are in the modern American diet. You’ve probably heard about the evils of high fructose corn syrup and the lack of anything positive from processed white sugar. So when someone wants a “healthy sugar” (is there such a thing?), they often turn to honey and maple syrup. They’re natural, right? So when I saw this recipe on PaleOMG’s blog while suffering a sweet-tooth attack, I knew I had to try it.

Recipe #2 of 52: Maple Blueberry Bacon Breakfast Carnitas with Fried Egg (Modified Recipe)

52 Pick-Up Challenge: Week #1

I woke up this morning and began a routine that I have practiced for three months now. Part of that routine is a nutritious breakfast…cooking fat, veggies, eggs, salsa verde, & fruit (usually grapefruit). It’s nice that it is routine because I don’t have to think about it too much, but I have noticed a rut beginning to form. So as I was reading my favorite blogs this week, I came across an eye-opening post:

52 Pick-Up Paleo Style by Amy Kubal via Robb Wolf

Kubal challenged readers to play a game of 52 Pick-Up (I fell for that trick once thanks to my sister). But this challenge is to try one new recipe each week for an entire year so dietary ruts don’t form. 

Ruts = Boredom -> Healthy Eating FAIL!

So I decided to take up this challenge to provide a little spice in my life and variety on my table.

“[W]hat if every week you added just ONE new food or ONE new recipe to your grocery cart or menu? Think about it – by the end of the year, you’d have 52 NEW taste adventures for your ‘bored buds’ and it doesn’t even seem like a lot of work now does it? ONE new food or recipe every 7 days – if you can’t commit to that, then you have more issues than my last boyfriend…  I’m not saying something new EVERY day but throw caution to the wind once a week.” –Amy Kubal

So each Friday for the next year, I am going to post my favorite 52 Pick-Up Meal of the Week. I cannot wait to share all the fun, new recipes I find and try. Cheers to Healthy Eating without Boring Ruts!

Recipe #1 of 52: Flank Steak with Lime-Garlic-Ginger Marinade & “Nature’s Spears” Asparagus

Progress...

On many occasions over the history of this blog, I have posted about my progress in fitness.

Running Speed Progress...
CrossFit Progress...
Strength Progress...

Unfortunately, I have rarely written about the progress of my overall health. Sure, running faster, growing stronger, jumping farther are all aspects of my health. But during all this time, I never felt like I "hit the nail on the head" with improving my overall health.

I am a numbers nerd (funny since I teach English & Literature). Over the past 5 or 6 years, my wife and I have done a weekly weigh-in and written it down in a chart. We felt this would be a motivation for us to see our progress & a tool for accountability. Honestly, at times it was depressing to watch my weight slowly creep up. Other times, the numbers made me kick into action to take control of those numbers.

My action always revolved around physical activity (training for marathon, Urbanathlon, CrossFit, P90X, 603PTP). Sometimes it would touch on my eating habits too (P90X Nutrition Guide). But something was always missing. What was it?

...more intensity?
 ...more commitment?
...my genes just suck?
...I'm just getting older?
...my eating habits?

Every time I took up one of these activities, I always read the sidebar that said, "In order to see REAL PROGRESS, you must take care of your diet." Taking care of your diet is pretty vague. So without concrete steps (except for P90X), I never really considered my eating habits. Until recently...

So in the name of self-experimentation, I devoured It Starts With Food, The Perfect Health Diet, and blog posts from the most proliferate Paleo writers. And committed to their guidance along with doing the Whole30 with my wife. So would I see any progress in my overall health (weight, energy, strength, etc)?

YES! This chart only shows one side of the progress, but I can tell you "YES" for every aspect of this health progress too. Now to sustain it. Let's see what this chart looks like 6, 9, & 12 months down the road. But at this moment, I completely agree that real health progress is a result of what you put into your body, not necessarily what you physically do with your body (although that matters too). And taking care of your diet is concrete when you follow It Starts With Food and other clear resources. Seek them out!

*Knowing how/what to eat is important too. Check out the resources to the right of this post to find some that I have found very helpful!