The 2013 Primal Blueprint 21 Day Challenge!!

Got my copy through Amazon. Looking forward to starting! 

It's here and I am in!
As you know, I've been eating Paleo/Primal on my own for about  22 days now.
It hasn't been too difficult, but as it goes on, I can see that I am getting rather weary of being
thoughtful of my food and what's going on my plate.  I'm getting a little lazy and not
wanting to plan ahead.  Oh, yes! You must plan if you are going to eat this way.
So rather than letting my enthusiasm fizzle, I think that this challenge that I am
about to share with you is coming at a perfect time for me!! It's just what I needed.

I am talking about The 2013 Primal Blueprint 21 Day Challenge.  Wow! That's a mouthful!

I will basically be continuing the same eating plan as I have already been doing, moving a lot
more and then following along with any other challenges he may throw our way.

Here's the basic "list" from his blog.

In brief, this is the Challenge. Do it for just 21 days and the results will speak for themselves.

1. Eat real food.
2. Avoid sugar, grains, unhealthy fats, beans/legumes.
3. Align your carb intake with your weight goals and activity levels.
4. Move frequently at a slow pace: Get between 2-5 hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise.
5. Lift heavy things: Conduct 1-3 brief, intense sessions of full-body functional movements.
6. Sprint: Go “all out” once a week.
7. Get 8 hours of sleep every night.
8. Get 15 minutes of direct sun exposure each day.
9. Play! Find time to let go, disconnect, unwind and have fun each day.

Well, there you go.  Let's see where this takes me!! Also, I have a follow-up doctor appointment in 2 weeks and I will be excited to see what my weight will be by then as well as find out my blood test results.

Do you have any health/fitness/weight loss goals you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear about them. Leave me a comment!

Coconut Chicken aka OMGCHICKEN!

I have found that it's really important for me to pay attention to my body when it comes to food.
Since I am pretty sure that I have a food addiction, I have to be very mindful of what I am
eating, when I am eating it and why I am eating it.

You may think this sounds silly, but if you've ever tried to lose weight or cut out certain foods from your diet, you might understand.

Sometimes I will think I'm hungry, so I'll get up and start looking in the fridge or pantry... and all of a sudden, I realize - I'm not hungry at all.  I don't even know what I'm doing there in front of the fridge!!
Has that ever happened to you?  Or you see some food out and you start munchin down on it without thinking?  Like maybe after you've eaten dinner and there's left-overs or someone brought in donuts and you just migrate over like nom, nom, nom!!

Quit it already!! *Yelling at myself* haha.

So, here I am today.  Home by myself and I'm hungry.  I had 1 soft boiled egg with some deli turkey for "breakfast".  I wasn't really hungry, but knew I should get some protein in me.
So lunch just rolled around and I've been doing some work around the house.  I stop and inspect the fridge.  Hmmm...  There's some uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast from last night.  I was going to make a salad with it...

Switch it up!! Just remembered an idea I had and was excited to try it.  I recently bought some Coconut Flour and unsweetened coconut flakes.  I love coconut shrimp, but find that the sweetness of the coconut is not something I like as much.  But how about this? It's unsweetened!
So I cut the one breast into really thin slices.  I seasoned it with my favorites: sea salt, garlic, and pepper.  I beat one egg and set up a little station with my coconut flour and coconut flakes.
A little coconut oil in a hot pan?  Sure, why not!?
Dip thin cutlet in flour, then egg, then flakes.
Add to hot pan.
Only needed 2 or 3 minutes per side.  Whoops. First few pieces cooked really fast and got dark!
That's okay!!
Made a little side salad of mixed cabbage slaw (just a little bit of ranch dressing on the side) with some fresh tomato and there.  Beautiful meal.

Coconut Chicken

The chicken was SO good.  Very slight coconut flavor to the mild chicken, light crunch to the "breading" and lots of flavor from the seasoning.  I ate what was probably only half the breast and I was full.
So I STOPPED.  I could have and usually would have eaten the whole thing - after all, it's just one chicken breast - but I didn't.  That right there is progress!!

If you want to read more about coconut flour, I found a good article right here on Mark's Daily Apple.  He's got some great recipes too.

Have you tried using coconut flour or coconut products?  What's your opinion?