I am glad to say goodbye to 2012. Admittedly, there were some very happy moments - Annie's graduation and first semester in college, crewing Andy towards a PR at LT100, proposing to Andy on bended knee at our favorite restaurant, the vacation of a lifetime in Acapulco and welcoming foster dog Reggie to our home. Even so, I cannot help but think that this was a challenging year...in life and in running....Rocky Raccoon, Fruita and the 5K in Maryland... the passing of beloved Roxy, Andy's family tragedy, our postponed wedding, my car accident, Asia's two surgeries and roadblocks at work. I am looking forward to putting this year behind us and moving on. This coming year will present some unique experiences as Andy dedicates himself to Leadman. As I said to him a short time ago, I am proud to help in any way I can and play a small role in something this monumental.
One of the most profound changes in our lifestyle over the past few weeks has been Andy's commitment to the paleo-diet. Here is a description courtesy of Wikipedia - "The paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.[1][2] Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.[1][3][4]." This diet has necessitated a dramatic change in the food we buy, consume and... more specifically for me... cook.
It is impossible to deny the results not only in weight loss but also emotionally. The combination of cutting out everything with HFCS, soda of any kind, fast food, and what I would call "bad" carbs, along with his biking and running training, has produced some impressive results. 12lbs lighter since December 3rd. He is definitely what I would call a lean, mean machine. Overall, we all seem to be much more conscious of eating things that are healthier for us and it feels good. Sometimes it feels self-righteous and pompous to talk about it so I try not to get on a soapbox about it. But it is fun to share ideas, recipes and results. I am finding that I have to be more creative with my cooking and am using ingredients that I have never used before -- Coconut Oil, Coconut Sugar, Almond Flour, Vegetable Shortening, Almond Milk, Tapioca bread and Daiya cheese. I'm having a harder time than Andy cutting out the sweets but it is pretty inspiring and... interesting. Today I made paleo friendly chocolate covered almonds. Last night I made us some kick-ass salads with grilled chicken and orange-infused vinegar for dressing. Yesterday I also made beef stew and the previous week I made a meat lovers pizza with almond flour and daiya cheese crust. All of it has been quite tasty!
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