A Week (of food!) in the Life of a Happy Eater!

  A few people have asked to see what a week of paleo meals actually looks like. In an effort to be authentic, I took pictures and wrote down the meals, snacks, and treats I ate for a week. There are a few things on here that aren't "paleo"--peanut butter, black beans, corn (it's a grain), yogurt, and of course beer! I don't make a habit of eating black beans and corn. Ryan and I just really enjoy the recipe, and I haven't made it in such a long time! I do, however, intentionally include peanut butter and some dairy.

Enough talk. Here's a complete look at my week:

THURSDAY- DAY 1

Breakfast: two eggs over easy, Aidell's habanero chicken sausage, strawberries

Lunch: loaded salad

Snack:  plain yogurt w/ cinnamon, paleo blueberry muffin made with coconut flour (click for muffin recipe)

Dinner: Thai chicken green curry w/ snap peas and bell peppers, mixed greens, Indian spiced sweet potatoes, 1 piece dark chocolate (click here for recipes)

Exercise: Ballet Beautiful Body Blast

FRIDAY- DAY 2

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with green chiles, chicken breakfast sausage, blueberries

Lunch: loaded salad, with Thai chicken leftovers
Snack: apple and peanut butter

Dinner: bacon jalapeno chicken bites, garlic roasted broccoli (click for recipes)
Snack: watermelon, piece of dark chocolate

Exercise: 15 minutes on treadmill at 10% incline; 15 minute upper body workout

SATURDAY- DAY 3

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with chopped garlic roasted broccoli (leftovers!), 1/2 avocado

Lunch: loaded salad (covered in thai chicken and spiced sweet potato leftovers!)
Snack: paleo blueberry muffin

Dinner: Red curry (from a restaurant, Thai Spice) with chicken and eggplant over romaine lettuce and snap peas (instead of rice)
Treat!: one Kona beer; one chocolate/cherry lager and ice cream float (because life is too short not to)
*Note about today's treat: no one can follow a meal plan perfectly, and no one should. Eating well 90% of the time and exercising allows for guiltless indulgences :)

Exercise: Jillian Michaels "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" 50 minute circuit workout-click for link

SUNDAY-DAY 4

Breakfast: 1/2 oz of almonds; apple and peanut butter

Lunch: Red curry with chicken and eggplant over sauteed spinach and broccoli

Snack: 1/2 oz of roasted coconut and pineapple slices

Snack #2: (no judging... I waited 8 hours between lunch and dinner!) 1/2 tomato baked with a sprinkle of cheese and Tony's

Dinner: Salsa-topped chicken breasts (the salsa did have black beans and corn, which are not paleo, but its such a good recipe, you have to go off the plan every once in a while!); salad

Exercise: 1 hour walk, 200 squats

MONDAY- DAY 5

Breakfast: Apple and peanut butter

Lunch:  Paleo Egg Frittata, 1/2 avocado; strawberries

Snack: broccoli with 2 tablespoons paleo wing sauce; pineapple slices

Dinner: Loaded taco salad (taco ground beef, romaine, carrots, bell pepper, tomato, salsa, avocado, red cabbage); dark chocolate

Exercise: Stationary bike, moderate effort, and Push Ups & Planks workout

TUESDAY- DAY 6

Breakfast: Left over taco meat and a bowl full of sauteed veggies; berries

Lunch: None. I didn't ever get that hungry after breakfast, so I had two snacks instead.
Snack 1: almonds, 1/2 cup left over sweet potatoes
Snack 2: tomato slices with guacamole

Dinner: Paleo shrimp and grits,made with cauliflower
Treat!: Ryan and I baked S'mores Pillsbury cookies. So un-paleo, and so delicious. 

Exercise: day off!

WEDNESDAY- DAY 7

Breakfast: Leftover egg frittata

Lunch: Salsa and chicken over mixed greens

Dinner: Leftover Paleo shrimp and grits

Snack: Paleo blueberry muffin

Exercise: Mixed-up run: Run for 30 minutes, stopping occasionally for pushups, squat jumps, tricep dips, lunge jumps, and burpees

A few things I keep in mind every week:

-Preparation makes a BIG difference. I plan three fresh recipes a week, with enough servings for leftovers. A grocery trip includes fruit, lettuce, veggies for salad toppings, and any other ingredients needed for meal planning.

-If I don't get ready-to-eat mixed greens, then I make sure to wash and chop lettuce all at once so salads are easier to make throughout the week. 

-I'm not afraid to get weird with leftovers. Just about anything can be thrown on top of a salad or into scrambled eggs!

-You can always add more veggies!

-Don't sweat the small stuff. (I always have to remind myself.)  A week full of conscious, healthy food and exercise choices won't be derailed by a few beers and a couple of chocolate chip cookies, especially since neither of those treats show up every week. They just so happened to occur on the week I decided to record everything for you guys :)

Click here for one of my favorite Paleo cookbooks: Practical Paleo, A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle

So there we are :) A week of mostly Paleo meals for one week!

 Question: What do you think could be the easiest part of Paleo? What would be the most challenging?

Good night!