As you're all aware, it's New Years Eve and tomorrow marks the start of a new year. I used to resent the general public's musings of resolutions and better things to come. I thought that it was a way to procrastinate; setting goals for the future rather than right now. I still feel this way, to an extent, but I do find encouragement in the ability to look back over this past year and see where I am and how I got there.

When I started Crossfit in September, Coach Kevin told us to make note of 5 things you want to improve about yourself, not you're physically ability alone but yourself as a whole. I mentally marked down the area's I wanted to improve.

Patience
Trust
Accessibility
Dignity
Sense of self


I discovered paleo and began living primally in October and my life took a turn for better than I could ever imagine. I've come a long and way and have even a longer way to go but the increase in quality of life has far bypassed anything I've ever experienced. I've learnt to cherish the body I was given and take care of it with real and good food. I've learnt that I truly am I result of my lifestyle and nourishment. I learnt I need to be the change I want to see and that every moment is an opportunity to make a better decision.

Like I've said, I have a long way to go. There will always be bumps in the road, they teach us how to get over the next one. Without these "bumps" we wouldn't know how great the smooth pavement is.

I encourage everyone to make that mental note of things you want to see yourself achieve. Tuck it away in the back of your head and pull it out every now and then and see how you've improved without the obsession and stress to change.

It's gonna be a great year!

Monday's are tough for me.. it's a combination of the events of the 3 days prior including usually a hangover, probably a bit of bad eating, not enough sleep, 3 days off crossfit and just general lack of motivation and it hits me hard that last half hour before class. I had mentioned at our class today that I've gotten into the habit of intermittent fasting on Mondays as well as reviewing my plethora of what I call my "pump up videos" before I head down to crossfit. I feel great when I get to the gym, full of energy and ready to push my body to it's maximum... and maybe even past.

So here are a few of my favourite PUMP UP VIDEOS! There is a crap ton of motivational tools out there for the tough days. Never quit or say you can't.

Here's a few recipes I made over the past 2 weeks. Enjoy!

Kitchen Sink Bars
These got the name from the fact I literally threw anything I could find in the cupboards into the mixture. It's very versatile so feel free to try your own combinations!

1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
whatever nuts, seeds, dried fruit you want (totally about 1-1 1/2 cups)

Combine flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl whisk together the honey and eggs and add to dry ingredients. After well mixed together, stir in the extra goodies you're using.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until firm to the touch and slightly browned.

Thumbprint Christmas Cookies
These were a tradition growing up only we referred to the as "thimble cookies" and they were chuck full of flour and sugar. Here's a paleo rendition. 

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil (or butter if that's your thing)
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
4 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
(1/4 cup cocoa powder for the chocolate variety)
dates, figs, or dark chocolate for filling
nuts, dried fruit or coconut for garnish

Combine eggs, oil, honey, vanilla and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until fully mixed. Split dough in half and add cocoa powder to one half to make a chocolate batch, leave the other half as is for a vanilla cookie.

Roll into small balls, about the size of a tablespoon. Place on to greased parchment paper. Use your thumb (or a thimble) to press the centre in.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Once cooled, fill with whatever you like. I cooked down figs with water and honey until it made a jam and used that as well as melted down dark chocolate and sprinkled with coconut shavings and dried apricot.



Sesame Seed Crackers
I've been searching for a cracker replacment that doesn't use an almond or coconut flour and I found it! These are awesome and non-paleo type also LOVE them.

1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup water


Use a food processor to blend the sunflower seeds into a sort of a flour, about 2-3 minutes. Add sesame seeds to processor and pulse a few times. Remove mixture from processor and place into a bowl, stir in water.


Roll the cracker dough out between to well greased peices of parchment paper until it's a consistent thickness throughout (about 1/4 inch). Score dough lightly to make for easy cutting once crackers are cooled.


Bake at 350 until golden and crisp, depending on thickness about 20 minutes.


Christmasy Fruit and Nut Treats
I've made these 3 times since the first batch, I can't seem to keep them in the freezer long enough between Fraser and I's love for chocolate. I literally used handfuls as measurements, like most of my recipes, it's very versatile so don't feel like you need to stick too closely to this recipe.

1/4 cup honey
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 pecan pieces
1/2 cup goji berries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricot pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
dark chocolate

Melt honey in a large enough bowl for all ingredients. While honey is liquid, stir in all ingredients except the egg. Mix it very well until everything is sticking together, you may need to melt and add some more honey. Once well mixed, stir in egg and transfer to well greased parchment paper. Use the back of a spoon to press into a consistently 1 inch layer, be sure to make edges pressed in as well or they will burn (you could use a baking pan).

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until edges at slightly browned and the centre is firm to touch. Let cool completely. Melt dark chocolate and drizzle generously over the entire thing. Place in freezer until frozen, or almost. Cut into desired sized pieces. I keep my squares in the freezer to ensure the stay together until Christmas (and kind of hidden) and I love frozen sweet treats!

*If they don't want to stay together (which happened for one of my batches) you could crumble the bars into bigger pieces and serve as more of a nixed fruit, nut and chocolate "granola" snack in a bowl.

Not Derby but kinda looks like him hey??

So I've been a little lacking in the updating recipes department, so here are a few!

Meatza! The Best Thing Since... Meat

1lb ground lean meat
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tsp salt
ground pepper
2 eggs
1/4 tsp cayenne
pizza sauce (homemade of course!)
pizza toppings (this is where your taste comes into play, use whatever you have in the fridge if you want!)

Preheat oven to 350. Use a cookie or pizza pan, oil it very well.  Combine meat, seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, eggs and cayenne. Mix well and spread on the oiled pan, keep the thickness to a consistent 1/4"-1/2". Cook in over for about 25 minutes depending on thickness, meat should be completely cooked, it will shrink in size. Drain off fat, add sauce and toppings and pop back in the oven under the broiler until the toppings are nicely browned. Mmmm meatza!

Ignore the ugly presentation.. I didn't think I was going to be blogging this.

Red Cabbage and Beet Slaw
(taken from Paleo Spirit)

1/4 head of red cabbage
1 medium raw beet
1 carrot
1/4 red onion
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

I used my wonderful food processor, I used the slicing blade for the cabbage and the shredding blade for the beet and carrot. You can use a knife and finely chop them instead if you'd like. Chop the onion and parsley nice and fine. Add everything to a big bowl and stir well, let sit for at least 30 minutes with occasional stirring.





Paleo Chimichurri Sauce and Marinade
(also taken from Paleo Spirit)


3 cups fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh oregano
3/4 olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
1/4 lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne or 1/2 tsp crushed chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves
1 shallot
1 jalapeno pepper

Again I used my food processor, you would need either that or a blender for this recipe. I simply added everything together and used the chopping blade until it was the consistency I wanted. This is amazing on ANYTHING! Cooked meat or as a marinade is great, even veggies! It keeps very well in the fridge.

All put together for a really yummy dinner. I used some leftovers the next day for a really tasty lunch. Sui Choy leaves filled with diced chicken, parsley, slaw and chimichurri sauce.

Since forgoing my conventional diet of no fat, low protein and only veggies I've been kind of M.I.A. in society. Meals out are very few and far in between, visits to the bar with friends has become an anxiety ridden adventure and time is lost in the kitchen hovering over the stove. The one beautiful thing I rediscovered was sushi.. well, sashimi. Back in the day I used to love yam tempura rolls, edamame, miso soup and fried tofu. Now I stick to tuna/salmon sashimi and gomae and seaweed salad without dressing. Most restaurants will also give you a side of avocado if asked (some more generous than others.)

I do, however, miss the diversity of rolls. So I set out to create a paleo sushi roll. AND IT WORKED! Now in this recipe I used whatever veggies I had lying around plus some tuna we had bought. You can vary it up any way you'd like with different meats, veggies and sauces. Keep in mind that soy sauce is a no-no in the paleo diet because of it's soybean and wheat content. Tamari or Bragg's are gluten free (without the wheat) but still contain soybeans. We used a little bit of Bragg's and considered it a safer cheat (haha)

Another little note.. sashimi grade fish can be hard to come by and more expensive. The fish store we frequent usually has sashimi tuna in stock but not always and never salmon. After we had asked why this was, they told us a little secret. Tuna doesn't contain the same bacteria as salmon and will generally always come sashimi grade. You can make your own sashimi grade salmon by buying fresh salmon and freezing it for 72 hours, defrosting and using. This kills any harmful bacteria that the salmon may contain. You can do the same thing with scallops and shrimp.

Paleo Tuna Roll

300g sashimi grade tuna
seaweed paper
carrot
beet
green onion
zucchini
1/2 avocado
wasabi paste
Bragg's or Tamari Soy Sauce
bamboo sushi roller

Throw the tuna in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, this will harden the fish enough to be able to slice it into thin strips. Julienne the veggies into thin, long strips. I microwaved the carrot and beet for a minute or so to soften them up before slicing. Puree the avocado with a fork in a bowl, this will work as your "glue"

Place one piece of seaweed paper on the bamboo roller. Take a generous spoonful of the avocado puree and spread over the paper, making sure to reach the far edge. Arrange the veggies and fish along the bottom, about an inch from the edge. Lift the roller and carefully fold the paper over itself, pulling the roller up over the paper. Give it a good squeeze to keep tight before continuing to roll.

Use a serrated knife to cut into desired sized pieces. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce, ENJOY! This made 5 small rolls for us.

I'm coming up on my 4th month of crossfit and 3rd month of paleo and I can honestly say I've never felt better in my life. I can only imagine how much better it will get with time. I just want to touch on a few obstacles I have encountered so far. Obsession, fear and guilt.

I've always been the kind of person to dive into something completely. Food has always been a huge obsessive thing for me and when I was introduced to paleo I was no less obsessive. I researched every corner of this way of living. Spent hours and hours online reading everything I could get my hands on. With every article I read I would take it all to heart and completely change my way of thinking to accommodate the opinions of the blogger I had just followed. I would eat only almonds, then I would read that they were "bad" and freaked out and omitted them entirely. I would eat all raw and then freak out about antinutrients and cook everything to death and scold myself for depriving my body of the things it needed for so long. I couldn't stop thinking or talking about it and I'm almost positive my friends, coworkers and clients have had more than enough already. I felt extreme guilt if I had a glass of wine or anything not organic. I would beat myself up to the point of not enjoying my workouts or meals because I didn't know if I was doing everything "right".  I had a bit of a epiphany about a month ago when I realized that this obsession was no better or less detrimental than my past food issues. This got me thinking about where I fit in paleo and primal living. When I could find a comfortable spot, knowing what I need to fuel myself with and for.

I know that I definitely have all the knowledge I need to slowly find what works well for me and my body. I've adopted a more healthy way of thinking about meal times and not obsessing over a craving for dark chocolate and wine. I am learning to listen to my body rather than letting my "crazy girl brain" take over (Fraser, my boyfriend, knows all about this aspect of me.) It's all a journey of self-realization really and I'm not finished and hope I will continue to tune in to the body that I was given. I encourage you all to try to do the same. Paleo is a huge crazy world of information (some that totally contradicts itself) and you really need to find where you fit in to remain a happy and sane person.

I'm always open to emails with questions, comments or relatable information. daisyvelisek@gmail.com