The Down Low on Clean Eating Series: Introduction

When I talk to people about Clean Eating and specifically Paleo, I get a lot of confused, shocked, and resistant faces. What I have found in my years in this industry is that asking people to give up sugar is a no brainer. People have come to expect that if they want to eat healthier, they need to give up sugar and other white products like white rice, refined flour, etc. But asking people to give up ALL GRAINS, BEANS, and ALL DAIRY... whatsoever... is like asking them to get naked and speak in front of thousands of people.

When I was first presented with the Paleo diet "rules" I know I did the same thing. For me the grains part was easier to understand than the dairy part, especially since in the past my "healthy" way of eating often involved eating a lot more dairy products than normal like string cheese and yogurt. Often when we have a fitness or health goal we are presented with ways of eating that I now consider excuse diets; diets that allow people an easy way out.

For Example:

No sugar? Have as much fake, laboratory-produced sugar as you want, even if it’s a neurotoxin. Who cares at least you won’t be taking in calories.

You hate cooking? No problem, don’t learn how to cook and eat over processed, chemical ridden frozen meals that have as much nutritional value as a cardboard box.

Count your Calories! No need to worry about what’s in your food or where it came from, or if it will even get into your cells for your body to use.

The diet industry of today has you running around in circles believing that there is some magical,easy way out. I am so sick and tired of people trying to make hard things easier by cutting corners. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”

I really believe that this is a huge reason people are such yo-yo dieters. If you don’t re-learn what you know about food; how it affects you, how you shop for it, how you cook it, and how you eat it you will never learn any way of eating that will be sustainable for you. Remember those factors for later.

Key Point: Something that sounds sustainable for you in the future right now… to the person you are now whom you are trying to make life changes to…. probably sounds this way because it is still in your comfort zone. If I have learned anything in this life it’s that in order to grow and change we have to go OUTSIDE of our comfort zone. I know this because at one time, I didn’t think I would be able to I could sustain a life without cheese or ice cream or even ENJOY it. But I did and I’ve never enjoyed eating more than I do now.

In this series of blogs I am going to give you the down low (DL) on the 4 absolute musts that you need to learn (either for the first time from a different perspective) if you want to create a healthy way of eating that you will be able to sustain and enjoy for the rest of your life.

· How Food Effects You

· How to Shop for and Cook Food

· How to Eat Food

· How to make it a part of your NEW YOU!

I will go over things things like how body composition, emotions, energy level, performance and health are related to insulin, hormone regulation, gluten, lectins, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and other foods and non-foods we put into our bodies. We will go more in depth about what to look for in the grocery store, reading labels, and creating and finding great recipes for your weekly meal planning. And lastly I will give you some great tips along the way to begin to implement these changes in your life. Look for the DL on insulin in the next blog. I look forward to questions and empowering you to make more healthy decisions.

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7 things no one told you about food

QUALITY of food is always going to be MORE IMPORTANT than QUANTITY of food.- Crystal Nelson

A blog recently written by my friend Crystal Nelson, along with many recent conversations with family and friends about “why the heck I don’t eat dairy or grains anymore” inspired this week’s inspire me Monday. There are so many things I could talk about but to start, I want to lay down the law of the basic things people don’t realize about food.

The 7 Truths no one told you about food:
1) Food is Fuel
2) Food is a Drug
3) Calorie Counting is BS
4) Food has amazing healing power
5) Food has amazing destructive power
6) Food is a Drug
7) Food is Fuel

Just in case you were wondering, it’s not a mistake that “food is fuel” and “food is a drug” made it in the list two times. So much of my job is getting my clients to CHANGE THE WAY THEY VIEW FOOD. If you know me, you know I am all about optimal health and functioning which this why love the Paleo Diet by Dr. Loren Cordain and the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson as an optimal way of eating (notice how I say way of eating, not diet).

Food has Amazing Healing Power: I love Robb Wolf’s blog for great paleo success stories and pick me ups when I need a reminder of why I eat this way. Something Crystal noted in her blog that I want to spread around even more is a topic that has recently come up on Robb Wolf’s blog about the reversal of diabetes in a little girl. This story, as Crystal said, gives me chills. The basic story is a little girl was diagnosed Sept 10 of this year with type 1 diabetes and her family (including her) went completely paleo. Immediately after this the little girl’s blood sugar levels began to drop rapidly. As of Oct 19, this little girl’s doctor has concluded that she needs NO INSULIN and the family is currently awaiting antibody tests to determine whether or not the attack on her pancreas has slowed or stopped all together: “This REVERSAL of a life-threatening autoimmune disease is being mediated by a focus on food quality (paleo).” Interesting….

Food Has Amazing Destructive Power: Is it possible that grains, gluten, and dairy contributed to the development of this autoimmune disease. I would say yes. While there is some merit to autoimmune disorders being genetic, just because you have a gene doesn’t mean you will see it until it is EXPRESSED by your body. Food definitely has the power to express or not express genes, emotions, illness you name it. Do your own research. Books I love are Dangerous Grains, Good Calories, Bad Calories, The Omnivores Dilemma and The Unhealthy Truth.

If you still aren’t convinced read this letter to Robb Wolf about surviving a life threatening blood infection. Paleo will save your life. And I’m willing to bet it’ll help you fend off that H1N1 too.

If you want to find out more, need more elaboration on the 7 truths no one told you about food, please email me. I would love to help anyone, near or far, figure out how to achieve optimal health and how all this CAN FIT INTO YOUR LIFE.

Coconut Crusted Chicken Fingers and Squash Pear Sesame Sala

This weekend I tried a recipe from my Paleolicious cookbook and created one of my own! These chicken fingers are so flavorful and crispy on the outside. I used the larger coconut shavings instead of shredded coconut which added more crisp to the chicken. We dipped the chicken in leftover sesame dressing, jalapeno cilantro chimichirri and homemade bbq sauce.

The recipe in the cookbook is actually paired with a sesame greens salad, but I had no greens at home. What I had was squash, so I thought, I can make a salad with squash. Later I eyed the pears I had gotten and thought that it might make a great combo. It's sweet and refreshing.

For the Chicken:
2 Chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 in thick and cut into strips
3 egg whites, whisked in a small bowl
1/2 cup almond flour, in a small bowl
shredded coconut to cover the chicken
2 tblsp grapeseed oil

Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet. Dredge the chicken in these three steps: Almond Flour, egg whites, coconut; until the chicken is covered. Place the chicken in the skillet, cooking until golden brown on both sides; about 3-5 min each side. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through.

Salad:
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and dices
1 large ripe pear, diced into cubes
juice from 1 lemon
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
salt to taste

In a pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and saute the squash until soft. Meanwhile mix lemon juice, oil, ginger, and salt in a bowl. Prepare a bowl with ice water, and when the squash are soft, pour into the ice water to stop the cooking process and cool the squash temperature. Drain the water and place pears in the bowl. Pour in the dressing and mix making sure everything gets covered in sauce.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Scones and Zucchini Chocolate Chip muffins

Thursday I had the urge to bake things. I love baking! It gives me some cool sense of accomplishment. I've been wanting to try making the Chocolate Chip Scones from the Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Zucchini Chocolate chip muffins.



Both turned out great! The zucchini muffins were made with coconut flour and it was my first baking experience with that. The zucchini keeps the muffins moist and flavorful! They have a wonderful cinnamon flavor as well. The scones were great too. Just the right amount of sweet.

I always end up halving the recipes because I don't need the extras laying around my house. There are only two of us!

Paleo meter: To be used Sparingly....

Carne Asada with Cilantro, Jalapeno chimichurri

So I was at Whole foods yesterday planning to buy ingredients to make my own nutella, and I came across Carne asada with Cilantro Jalapeno salsa and it looked DELICIOSO! So I thought, I can make that myself. I am not sure what's in the whole foods version but mine turned out rich and satisfying. I cheated a bit though and bought the whole foods marinated carne asada.... I didn't have the energy to explore making my own marinade and I know I love the whole foods version ( stick with what you like eh?). So that will be my next endeavor since there is probably something not exactly paleo in their marinade.

Chimichurri:
1 bunch cilantro
1 avocado
2 medium jalapenos
juice from 1 lime
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
water
salt to taste

Place jalapenos on a baking sheet or glass baking dish and broil in the oven ( be sure to move the rack to the very top). Roast the jalapenos until the skin is black on both sides, you will need to flip them over at some point to get both sides about3-5 min a side. Let the jalapenos cool a bit then under cold water peel off the black skin. Cut off the tops and scrape out the seeds if you don't want your chimichurri to be super hot. If you like super hot, leave them in.

In a food processor, put in all the ingredients expect the water. Blend until a paste forms and add water until the chimichurri reaches a sauce like consistency. You could have it as thick or thin as you want.

And that's it! Serve with your Carne Asada. This sauce tastes great on just about anything. I had it on my eggs this morning. There is just something about a bright green sauce that feels so refreshing to eat. Buen Provecho!

Boundaries Vs. Limits

“Boundaries are to protect life, not to limit pleasures.” -Edwin Louis Cole

Do you know where you keep your boundaries? Do you let things or people cross your personal boundaries too often? This week I challenge you to think about where your strongest boundaries are and where you need to toughen them up a bit.

We all can think of a situation where we let someone into our space, cross our boundaries and it made us feel sticky, not your-self, or just not right. Take a moment to think about those people or situations. Can you find a recurring theme? Is it always the same type of person or situation?

When we have strong personal boundaries, we become empowered. A very common weakness in boundaries for people is saying no. Do you say yes too often when you really mean no?
Every time you say yes to something when you really mean no you are letting a piece of yourself go with it. You are losing power, losing energy.

Having strong boundaries doesn’t mean being snobby, mean, or rude. It simply means being true to yourself and your needs. Boundaries are here to protect us.

On the other hand, sometimes we confuse boundaries with limits. We put limits on how much joy and abundance we can have and confuse that with a boundary. When all your boundaries are set and impenetrable, you will be able to honor yourself in the highest way.

Where are you putting caps on your happiness, your success, yourself? You will find that boundaries and limits go hand in hand. When you build up and strengthen your boundaries, your limits will be endless.
So take this week to notice this: What are your most important boundaries? Which ones do you need to acknowledge and strengthen? Where do you put limits in your life and which of your boundaries will help you break open that limit?

A very Paleo Thanksgiving Recipe: Chicken and Squash Pot Pie and Mashed Garlic and Herb Cauliflower

This weeks taste testing of some paleo thanksgiving meals was Butternut Squash and Chicken pot pie with Mashed Garlic and herb cauliflower. I loved both of these recipes.

For the Pot pie, I used a recipe out of Elana Amsterdam's Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook.



I added butternut squash chunks instead of peas to stay paleo and I used a roasted crockpot chicken for the chicken and it turned out great. I think this would make a nice vegen dish if you take out the chicken.

I also Imagine using my leftover turkey for this dish.

The Cauliflower was super easy to make. You need:
1 head cauliflower
olive oil
water
1 package poultry herbs ( sage, thyme, and rosemary), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

Boil the cauliflower (cut into small pieces) until soft. Drain the cauliflower and place in large bowl or blender/food processor. Add in garlc, herbs and salt. Begin to mash or blend the mixture and add olive oil and water alternating the two one tablespoon at a time until you reach a consistency you want.



I used my food processor and my mash turned out more like a thick cream. Next time I will try simply mashing them for a more potato like texture.

Bon Apetite!

Moroccan Chicken Casserole and Vanilla Cupcakes

This week I made some awesome Paleo foods. Above is the Moroccan Chicken Casserole from Mark Sisson's website and it was delish! The cauliflower is just the right texture for rice and it's so refreshing. The spices are wonderful. It does take some prep time though so don't expect this to be a quick dish.

For my paleo challenge finished celebration I made myself some paleo cupcakes. FYI I used the almond flour recipe from Elana's cookbook, the link here uses coconut flour. The cupcakes were moist and just the right amount of sweetness.

A Very Paleo Holiday Recipe: Coconut-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes

I found this in Clean Eating Magazine and had to try it! Yum! I also made Paleo vanilla Cupcakes this week, delicious! Look for those soon! Check out Crystals apple crisp... it sounds wonderful!

5 med sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 in pieces
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tps cardamom, ground ( a ginger like herb, I suppose you could use ginger too)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tps ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup unsalted chopped pecan halves

1) Preheat oven to 325
2) bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat . Add sweet potatoes, return to boiling and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
3) Drain and transfer potatoes to a large bowl
4) Add coconut milk ,cardamom, vanilla, salt, black pepper and cayenne to potatoes.
5) Mix with hand held mixer on medium until smooth,
6) Transfer to a 9X9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle pecans evenly over potatoes
7) Bake 45-50 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool on rack for 10 minutes before serving.

Does your body want to be fat?

“Your Body Wants to be fat anytime it decides that being fat is safe” Jon Gabriel, The Gabriel Method

A friend turned me on The Gabriel Method a few weeks ago and it really resonated with me and my philosophy on health. So why would being fat be safe? It’s not! But as I have said, your health, physically is an expression of how you feel, think, and view the world around you. Well not exactly you, your body.

“Your body doesn’t understand today’s world.”

We evolved to protect ourselves under stress, and we evolved in a time when the major stressors were “starvation, freezing, being eaten.” It’s pretty simple, in any of these survival modes, the body wants to hold on to as much energy as possible. More fat= live longer and stay warmer. Too much fat= get eaten and the perfect amount of fat= live longer, stay warmer, and don’t get eaten.

Our bodies can’t tell the difference between, “I feel overwhelmed with work, family, and trying to fit in everything else” and “I haven’t found any food in 2 days.” Think about the last time you were under an immense amount of emotional stress…. Did you feel bloated, did you gain weight? I see this in clients all the time under too much stress: the inability to lose weight and often times the accumulation of weight in the belly.

I love this book because it delves into so much of the emotional and spiritual elements that are part of gaining healthy habits. Gabriel talks about mental starvation fear of scarcity, emotional obesity, and dysfunctional beliefs: all issues that one needs to consider when looking at their “Fit attitude” as I like to call it.

So I challenge you this week to discover what your “Fit Attitude” is? Do you need to think more about the points Gabriel brings up in his book? If you do, you need support. Don't wait, find it now. The quickest way to change is to look for it and welcome it. Now think about this last thought:

“Be Open to the Possibility that your body is changing”

Are you?

Say No to the Holiday Sugar Coma... Here's How

I've been finding myself warning my clients of the looming holiday season; warning them to be prepared for battle! Who are we fighting for you ask? YOU! Fighting to keep you healthy, feeling great, and loving life! The holiday season is in my opinion the most trying time for those on a mission to eat clean. There are so many more excuses that you can allow to come up it can be exhausting: I have so many parties to go to, my whole family is in town and we go out to eat everyday, it's cold and I feel like comfort foods.... STOP! I am officially putting a damper on these excuses and telling you to prepare now to be able to combat these excuses.

My friend and fellow crossfit trainer Crystal Nelson and I will be taking these next few weeks to try out some clean and Paleo thanksgiving recipes as well as post some helpful info on how to deal with sticky situations like relatives and parties. Check back soon for more! Would love to hear ideas about what you want to know about these situations. I know Crystals first recipe will be a dessert and seeing as I just finished my 30 paleo challenge TODAY! I am thinking dessert is on order.

Warm Fall Treats: Cinnamon Apple Chips and Roasted Cinnamon Vanilla Pecans

It's already starting to snow here in Colorado and it's making me crave warm baked goods. So when I saw the post on facebook from Paleo Pantry about cinnamon apple chips I HAD to make them!



All the cooking I've been doing lately is making me feel really creative in the kitchen and so I saw my bag of pecans and thought of those sugar roasted pecans you get at a fair..... well I don't choose to have sugar, but I thought I could flavor the pecans anyhow and roast them and turned out really yummy.

To Make Cinnamon Apples

Pre heat oven to 350. Slice your apple in thin slices. Coat them with small amount of grapeseed oil in a bowl and then lay out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon and bake for 45 minutes or until apples are dehydrated and crisp. I like mine a little on the gooey side before they get too crisp.

To make Pecans:

In a small bowl place a cup of pecans, 2 tsp of vanilla, 1 tps grapeseed oil, and 1 tsp of cinnamon and mix well. Place pecans in a pyrex baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes.


Try adding other flavors and spices. A little agave wouldn't be terrible ( if you are not being strict about your sugar) for a cheat treat.

Women's Crossfit Bootcamp CONQUERS 20 min Chelsea

CWB 20 Min Chelsae from Lauren Sheehan on Vimeo.

My tue/thurs 7am women's crossfit bootcampers are awesome! They come in early, get it done, and push hard. This week was a little more taxing than the previous weeks with 20 minute Chelsea and Kelly on the schedule.

My Crossfit bootcamp is a sort of hybrid bootcamp/crossfit concoction. I take the crossfit philosphy into all my training sessions but I wanted to create this class to spread my love for crossfit further into the community. It combines body weight movements with minimal equipment for maximum results. The best part about these workouts is the mental challenge. They are made to be as intense as you make them.


For more information on Women's Crossfit Bootcamp click here

Lemon, Garlic, Cliantro Roasted Chicken

[caption id="attachment_442" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pre-Cooking"][/caption]

Crockpot Roasted Chicken is so easy and it turns out moist and juicy, better than the gross chemical ridden store bought rotisseries. I made mine with lemon, cilantro and garlic. All flavors I love!! I based my recipe off this one.
[caption id="attachment_443" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After cooking"][/caption]


You need:
1 4-6 lb whole chicken
1 whole garlic head, peeled and cloves whole and ready to use
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, sliced
Salt and pepper

Thaw and Skin the chicken, don't forget to remove it's innards. Then rub it down inside and out with kosher salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the crockpot. Fill the inside with garlic cloves scattering some outside as well. Do the same with the Cilantro. Place the lemon slices around the chicken as pictured. Turn on crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours. Make sure the temp is 170 with a meat thermometer.



I ate mine with a whole lot of broccoli. Veggies and meat: ChecK... I need to grab some nuts now!

America's Excuse

Americas Excuse

I have to say I’ve been running across a lot of excuses lately. As the weather gets colder more people seem to be getting sick. On top of that the holiday season is getting closer and closer and I keep thinking to myself, how many people are using all of these things as an excuse to be unhealthy, not be 100% in love with yourself and your body, all in the name of “The Holiday Season.”

What I realized is that the “holiday season” is a giant, collective, American excuse to GIVE UP!

I am here to challenge you to NOT GIVE IN! Don’t do it. Don’t give in to this ridiculous excuse to eat like crap and not have time for exercise or being healthy.

There are 8 weeks until thanksgiving and that means that you have 8 weeks to train yourself to be healthy during the busy, crazy, holiday season. It’s never too late to start so start NOW! I think there is a correlation between how out of it people get during the holidays and how they are treating their bodies.

Here are a few pointers to be on top of your game….

1) Find support. Join a workout group; find a friend to keep you accountable. I’ve got some great classes ( see below) to help you with this.

2) Start NOW. Don’t wait till the next time you go to store. Don’t wait until you finish off all the crappy food in your fridge.

3) Find info on clean eating. See my blog for recipes and resources. All your holiday sweets and things don’t have to be totally annihilating. Use alternative sweeteners, find gluten free recipes, use whole foods, do your own cooking!

4) If you have a goal why would you give up for 6 weeks or so? Keep going, keep pushing. Only you can put things in your way.

5) Believe in yourself and don’t let everyone else discourage you when they ask you “why aren’t you eating that…just have a little, it won’t hurt you.”

6) Lead by silent example, while everyone else is eating themselves into a coma over the holidays you will be productive, feel great, and be on track with whatever your goals are.

Paleo Quiche

I love a good quiche and this ones totally paleo. I started with an Almond Flour crust from The Gluten free almond flour cookbook. ( I made the pie crust from this recipe minus the agave and the vanilla...) It really hits the spot. Try it out and lemme know what you think.

Ingredients
5 eggs
1 cup chopped turkey bacon
1/2 cup sauted mushrooms
Pie crust ( see link above)

Pre heat oven to 350. Place the chopped turkey bacon and mushrooms in a large saute pan. Cook the turkey bacon until it is crisp and the mushrooms are soft. When it's ready put the mixture into the pie pan ( with the crust ready in it). Whisk the eggs in a bowl, then pour over the mixture in the pie pan. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife in the center of the quiche comes out clean.