Holy crap did I really just find some time to sit down and blog? Yes, yes I did.

Since you’re dying to know about me, I’ll share a bunch.. don’t I always? So what’s new with me and my life? As you may or may not know,  I am moving into my very first house. The home buying process is not exactly stress free and my god, it’s expensive. I work in one hell of a high pressure job, they pay me well for it, but man, house buying + work madness= crazy. All things considered, I’ve kept it together really well… I haven’t at all lost sight of my paleo life, my gym sessions, my amazing boxing workouts and learning and growing as an adult in general. I had some very serious single-girl fun basically the entire month of March… April I whole30′d and that went really well and May… oh, May… it’s turning out to be a lovely month.

So I got off birth control. There was something crazy about coming up to my 10 year anniversary of popping a hormone pill. How could I preach eating real food when I was swallowing a daily pill that messed with my body? So you’re dying to know all about my menstrual cycle right?! I knew it! So here we are almost 3 months later and…….. nothing. I have yet to get my monthly buddy. I know what you’re thinking, “You’re totes pregnant, duh!” but that is not true either. I fearfully peed on a stick, it was negative. It’s kind of funny I put off taking a pregnancy test… It was like if I was preggo, I didn’t want to know. What a dumbass thing to put off! Especially considering I enjoy some tequila sodas every now and again… Anyway, I read up on it, apparently its normal to not get your period for a couple months, then your body sort of works itself out. I’m hoping I’m not one of the rare few who actually has some underlying issue. I’m giving it a full 3 months before I talk to my doctor. Some people said they felt different mentally, most claiming they were happier. I have to be honest, I don’t feel any different being off birth control. Then again, I’ve just been plain happy and things seem to just go my way (knock on wood)… so it’s hard to feel unhappy for any reason. I have my bad days at work where the stress gets to me, but if that’s the worst thing I have to endure, I am blessed.

That being said, the Boston bombings really hit close to home (literally). It puts things in perspective, for sure. One of the victims is my neighbor at the apartment I’m moving out of. You know that horrifying photo of the guy in the wheelchair (Jeff), thats him! He came home yesterday and was sitting outside with a few of his buddies. I got to personally welcome him home and chat a bit about how cool it was he got to wave the flag at the bruins game. I know that was really awesome for him, especially seeing him sit there with his bruins hat on. He was cheerful, polite, used my name many times. Whenever a person uses my name I immediately like them. Seriously, when you meet someone, use their name a lot and they’ll like it. I learned that in sales training…and it’s so true because when I hear “it was nice to meet you, kaleigh!” vs “it was nice to meet you”, I actually feel its more genuine because its personal. Anyway, the guys were loving up my dogs and just shooting the shit. It was humbling. I walked away feeling like I met a true hero. Later on, I heard Jeff rocking out playing his guitar…Put a smile on my face.

So my blog has really been my little baby. Started as this thing I used to share recipes, my hurdles, my inspiration to share this lifestyle that changed my health and fitness. It morphed into me just being me, oversharing, being a potty mouth, telling the brutal truth and meeting the most amazing people ever. Some of you have inspired me, made me feel warm and fuzzy, kept me focused on my own pursuit of optimal health… What’s that saying…all good things come to and end? Yeah that! So I’m sad to announce that I will no longer be blogging come June. Truth be told, I just find that I don’t make time for this much anymore. I barely make time for my facebook page these days either. I actually forget I even have it. It’s unfair to my readers and I find I just want to be one of you– a girl who loves to read all the paleo sites and make new dishes. Although this has been an amazing way of meeting people, learning more and a place I feel safe being me, I am retiring as a paleo blogger. Paying to run a site I dont use is just silly. I’ll be spending a good portion of the next couple months re-doing my new downstairs, creating my home gym, and spending time with the amazing people in my life… oh and working a shit ton too. I have a mortgage to pay now!

I want to thank you all for reading my crazy rants, my personal stories, making my recipes, asking questions, telling me your story and just being awesome. It’s been real. It’s been great. I’ve learned that parting ways with something or someone you love sometimes turns out to be the best thing ever. With that being said, I have to follow my heart and put my Paleo Angel persona to rest. Have no fear, I will continue to eat real food, continue working on my fitness and living and learning.

Lots of love XO,

“The Paleo Angel”

So this comes a little late, but I did want to blog about my Whole30 results, thoughts, etc as well as keep you posted on what I’ve been doing, how I’ve been and all that jazz.

So I completed a January Whole30. Below is my before/after photo, which is the scariest thing ever and not something I typically do, but I think this speaks to 1. how much the holiday bloat really did show and 2. how ditching sugar rid of that…

I have to mention that at the end of December I went through one hell of a breakup. I never felt compelled to explain what happened at the time, but I’m ready to talk now. I can sum it up in several words: cheating, lying, deceit, betrayal & anything but what a loving, meaningful relationship should be. I learned you can’t love a person better. In hindsight, I often wonder if the less than perfect point he was at in his life topped with other stress with personal issues led to major, major insecurities and other female attention matched with way too much alcohol consumption was like a coping mechanism for him? Truth be told, I don’t need a reason, I stopped giving a shit why. I actually pitied him and felt like he did me a favor at the end of the day. I could have stuck it through and been let down again and again… Ultimately I wasn’t happy anyway and I probably never would have been. Mutual effort and love is so necessary & that was absent. I walked away with my dignity, without regret and knowing I loved, I tried and I don’t have ever have to look back and think “what if?!” Given I was whole30ing I couldn’t turn to a bottle of wine, I dealt with every emotion head on and I am SO thankful I did. I spent new years day finding out even more betrayal…I had signed up for a 5k which I barely made it to. I broke down in front of my 2 best friends and mom and I was ready to just ditch the 5k, but I said to myself, “no! what good would that do? I signed up, I’m running this”…. I did, it didn’t help that day, but I was glad I did it. The remainder of that day I stayed in bed. I didn’t move once. I needed that day. I needed to cry, I needed to be depressed, I needed to not move from my bed. I got it all over with that day, happy new year to me. BUT I had my moment of clarity WAY sooner than I anticipated. In all honesty, I have zero hard feelings. Zero. I think it’s just because I no longer care at all. I am removed from all that was, I see things for what they are because I no longer love this person (love IS blind). It’s a part of my past, I lived to tell the tale and came out on the better end. I hold no ill will, I don’t hate him, I don’t even dislike him. If I saw him on the streets, I think I’d even give a polite “hello”. I’m just moved on and I’m the happiest I’ve been in a while. The fact that I got through it sober is even more so empowering.

I have a new workout spot and a new workout buddy and we’ve been doing 5am sessions based on a 4 day split of heavy lifting and assistance work. It’s been awesome. I now box every Saturday and I’m becoming more and more passionate about that. Enough where when I get better & more confident  I think I’m going to dedicate myself to that 100% maybe with still keeping up with my strength training (just because I like it).

Work is work… I’m SO lucky to be surrounded by (mostly) really awesome, funny, entertaining coworkers. We all know work itself blows, but when you work with people you become friends with, it makes everything better.

I think I’m going to embark on another whole30 come April, but I’m not sure yet. I have too many social events in March to commit to a Whole30 then…but maybe April…maybe. I definitely encourage anyone and everyone to do a Whole30. Not only will you feel and likely look better, it’s so empowering and you will learn quickly that food does not control you, and how pathetic that even sounds…DO IT!

Celebrating 2k likes on Facebook… Came up with these randomly… they were great! Note that when sunbutter is used in baking as it cools, your treats may turn green. They’re safe to eat, just not as cute (unless its St Pattys Day!). Why? Sunflower seeds contain chlorophyll (also found in plant leaves n stems), when mixed with baking soda, the reaction is a green hue. Dont let it stop you from gobbling these up!

Preheat oven to 350
Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal (or almond flour– i like the meal from trader joes, either will work!)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c maple syrup (or honey- your choice)
1/2 c blueberries
3-4 large strawberries chopped
1/4 c sunbutter (get the “organic” kind, the other has sugar added)
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4 c grassfed butter (or coconut oil, melted)
add as much cinnamon as u want if you like (optional, but I am a fan)

Mix up everything but the fruit then fold the fruit into the mix, put in muffin tins, bake for 20 mins or until it passes the toothpick test! Enjoy!

One more day of 2012 and I can’t help but, 1. be relieved! This quite possibly was one of the most trying years for me to date and 2. really think about goals for 2013, how I will continue on in my journey to optimal health and fitness and how I will continue growing, learning and becoming a better person all around.

As I cleaned my house, I thought about things I’d really want to commit to this year. I thought I should write these all down and figured why not share it on my blog?! So here goes…

Goals for 2013

1. Make more time for keeping all my spaces (work, car, home) clean and clutter free. I noticed often when my life gets stressed and hectic, my spaces tend to get messy and hectic. Without fail, a clean house is a clear mind for me.

2. Read at least 1 book every 2 months. Ideally 1 book/month. I’ve always loved to read and its relaxing. Everyone deserves down time. I rarely make time for it because I am a person who can’t sit still, but I know how necessary a break is every now and then.

3. Help someone shovel during a snow storm. Why? Because most people hate it, some people do it alone & need help…and it’s a great workout!

4. Focus 100% on lifting heavy. Stick to a diet plan to supplement my workouts and eat for fuel and optimal health.

5. Complete a Whole30. January 1-30th & take before photos, the after photos will be so worth it.

6. Walk my dogs more. My Lola loves to be outside and walk…she’d walked for days and be the happiest dog. I love animals… making my own babies happy is a huge priority for me. We have them for such a short period of time and I want those years to be the most happy ones!

7. Be open and honest always. This includes letting people know I love them, not just through actions, verbally as well. I think so highly or so many positive things about people in my life and I rarely ever let people know. Its definitely a goal of mine to share more of these thoughts with people I love. Everyone loves to hear positive things about themselves.

8. Buy a home. This should really be #1 because it is my first priority for 2013.

9. Plan a tropical vacation with friends

10. Go out more. I’m young! I need to be silly, go out with friends, try different things, be more adventurous. I WILL commit to this.

11. Work my ass off. Give 100% to my job and make bank.

12. See my nana more while I still have her here.

13. Continue to forgive, accept that things arent ever perfect and it’s ok. Be the best me so I don’t look back on anything with regret.

14. Learn from mistakes. Take something positive out of less than ideal situations. Admit when I’m wrong. Apologize when necessary. Behave in a matter that apologies aren’t necessary.

15. Create a food budget! I spend SO much $ on groceries and I am notorious for throwing out food (I just cringed). This has to stop.

16. Lastly- keep up with my blog! Blog more, share more, post recipes, advice, and interesting articles. Continue to be 100% ME! 100% unfilitered, 100% honest. Realize not everyone will appreciate my brash, tell-it-how-it is approach and my potty mouth and be more sensitive to my readers without compromising being me.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy 2013! XO

A couple weeks ago, Kristin Jekielek, a face and name I know from the wonderful “Paleosphere” asked me if she could share her story and her new site on my page. Without hesitation I insisted she send me her story ASAP and that I would be honored to share. I read it over and immediately knew this would be eye-opening for some people. Not to mention after looking at Kristin’s new site (https://www.paleotrail.com/)  I know this would be a tool many of you will find useful! Enough rambling, here’s Kristin’s story.

This is a guest post by Kristin Jekielek. Read on for her Paleo story and to learn about her new website Paleo Trail.

I’ve Been Eating Paleo For 3.5 Years

My Paleo journey doesn’t have a dramatic before & after story. What I do have is a story of improvement, ups and downs, and the knowledge that eating Paleo helps me be the best me

Paleo Just Made Things Better

I started eating Primal in July 2009. That first month was eye-opening (after I got through the carb flu at least). My energy was up, my mood was better and more consistent, I wasn’t bloated anymore, and I even dropped a couple pounds without trying. Pretty cool stuff!

I haven’t shared this with many people before, but I’ve struggled with an eating disorder for a long time. Paleo helped me realize that my symptoms were a result of food addictions to grains and sugar. This is simply the most powerful reason I have to continue eating Paleo – it drastically helped me resolve my eating disorder. Having a strong support system was also crucial for me, but eating strict Paleo is an essential piece of my recovery.

…Until This 1 Thing Happened

I went all-in on Paleo. I was preparing 90% of the food I ate, eating only local & grass-fed/pastured animals, local & organic produce, and even switched from table salt to sea salt. That’s what I’m supposed to do, right? Well, it gave me an iodine deficiency.

To avoid an iodine deficiency, you must include sources of iodine in your diet. Real food sources are wild caught ocean fish and seaweed (although there are concerns about high levels of bromine). Regular iodized table salt is also a good source.

After working with a doctor and doing two different types of tests to confirm the deficiency, I started supplementing iodine and saw immediate improvements. My hair texture went back to normal, my nails stopped peeling off, and I could walk down the street without getting light-headed once again.However, my recovery stalled out after a couple months. I was still very fatigued and foggy-brained. My doctor ordered some blood work, and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune condition. I was prescribed Synthroid and saw some mild improvements.

A Few Bumps In The Road To Health

I wanted diet tracking to focus on the quality of the food choices I made while also being fast and convenient. That’s why I created Paleo Trail. It lets you track your Paleo diet online in less than 5 minutes a day, without ever counting a calorie.
You’re probably wondering how it works. To add a meal, you simply rate the quality of the food choices you made at your meal.

The Paleo Trail Calendar shows you at-a-glance how clean you’ve been eating over time.

I’m back (but not really with a vengeance). Apparently I’ve become this a-hole once-a-month blogger. Nothing annoys me more when I go to my favorite Paleo sites and see the same old, same old. In my head I’m all “WTF how bout you update your sh!t, I need a new recipe, damnit!”, yet I’m totally THAT blogger myself. What can I say, life is busy & when I do get a free minute, I want to do nothing. Yes, it’s true, I’ve been too lazy to blog… I am here though & with lots to say… (duh).

First things first: my gripes…

1. my endurance these days is sub par.

2. I’m over holiday parties & the crappy food they come with. Can I just get some meat, please? Some roasted vegetables? something thats not slathered in cheese or bread crumbs?

3. I’m over people who spend hundreds of dollars a month on Crossfit, eat like they’re in college & cry to me about how they hate their body. Well, maybe if you stopped eating shit, you’d stop looking like shit & furthermore feeling like shit. These are the same people from #2 throwing crappy food parties.

4. Crossfit koolaid drinking. I cant take another facebook profile picture of someone in a handstand, someone shirtless, someone lifting something heavy. We know! We saw your Crossfit check-in, we read that you completed 10 rounds of Cindy RX, we saw your IOS album of your ripped hands… You’re almost as cool as me. Refer to: this awesome write up (this is also one of my most favorite blogs ever)

5. Days like this, where I just have a shitty, bitch about everything attitude. What a big debbie downer I am, sometimes, but god life is annoying, no?!

Moving right along, lets talk about how I gained weight. Why? Oh I dunno probably cuz I insist on large portions and eating my brownie bowl 5 days a week (this deliciousness). Which brings me to some exciting news! Ready for it? I’m doing a Whole30 effective 1/1! I have a GREAT group of a lot of you fine folks who will be joining me and I encourage anyone else to join as well. We have a facebook group at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/PaleoAngelsWhole30Crew/ . So if you’re that Crossfitter who spends all that money to go die on the box’s always dusty/dirty, bumpy, matted floor that everyone else leaves their sweat angels on before you (gag, the germs in there have got to be outrageous) and goes home to a large pizza JOIN THIS GROUP. Even if you dont need to lose weight, or for “looks”…do it to perform better, do it to be HEALTHY. Stop being lazy, cook your own food! Save money in the process (take out adds up!), watch all the health benefits come to light. You won’t regret it. It’s 30 days. I dont give a flying you-know-what about how much you love honey, how much you love cheese, how you NEED that splenda and cream in your morning coffee… BULLSHIT! You dont need much anything besides ANY food and water. So make that food whole30 approved, drink that water, and prove to yourself that food does not control you. Only YOU control food. It’s really not hard to pass on crap. Learn these three words, “no thank you” and you’ll be fine. Just so you know I’m not pulling this all out of my rear… I did a whole30 last year, as did my best friend. I’ll speak to my own results: I looked great, i felt great. Skin clear, hair thick and shiny, most “alert” and awake I’ve ever felt during the day, slept like a baby at night, my workouts were fantastic because I was fueled so well. My best friend made it to her jack and jill right after her Whole30, and people didnt even recognize her. She had lost weight and was glowing…Not one person at her Jack and Jill didn’t say “Damn, what did she do, she looks amazing!” I shit you not kids. Start your year off healthy.

Lastly… some gift ideas for your Paleo Pal/Fitness Freak:

-kitchen appliances: food processor (its a paleo-kitchen must have), hand mixer, knife set, blender, bakeware, quality pots and pans, julienne peeler (for veggie “noodles”)

-homemade yummies: candied nuts (candy with honey or maple syrup), mixed nuts, nut butters, paleo treats (my favorite cookie can be found here)

-Paleo Cookbooks. My 2 favorites are Make it Paleo and Paleo Comfort Foods.

-A gift certificate to a local farm or butcher.

-Inov8 sneakers (I still swear by my x230s)

-foam roller/lacrosse ball (to break up all that muscle tissue)

-for the crossfit koolaid drinker in your life, you can spend a pretty penny to buy a shirt that says crossfit on it (i personally wouldnt hate a CF hoodie, I just refuse to spend this kind of cash) : http://shopcrossfitreebok.com/

-or you can buy really bad koolaid drinkers shirts with fitspiration on them here (i think this is ladies only not sure): http://store.lovefitnation.com/

-sports tape and/or biofreeze (hi, bob)

- i LOVE these capris from under armor. They never slip or slide! Therefore I’m going to go out on a limb and say under armor anything is the poo: http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/womens-ua-tough-run-capri/pid1231698-001

-dumbbells, kettlebells and ab-mat…any sort of stuff that can be used for at-home workouts.

- buy someone a crossfit gift certificate or t-shirt & support your local box!

That’s all I’ve got for today. Hope to see some of you join the 1/1 Whole30! Happy holidays!

I’ve been MIA lately and in turn have totally neglected my second baby aka this website. I apologize. I’m willing to bet a lot of you feel like me: there’s just not enough time in the day! Since my 8 hours of sleep is a priority, keeping you in “the know” about my life in fitness and paleo has been nearly impossible. I promise to make a better effort going forward!

So what is up with me? I have 100% stopped intermittent fasting. After that approach was working against me, I dropped it. IF is not right for me. As a result, I know I have gained weight. I would guesstimate around 5-6 lbs. I don’t own a scale and I don’t care to. I am not very comfortable with this weight gain, but I want to just step back and continue to work to optimize my health every day. Not necessarily to “be skinny”, but to feel good about myself. I won’t lie and say I feel great about snug pants. I am coming to the realization diet for me will always be a struggle and it’s simply because I love food. I could go on and on about that, but I feel like it would be a raging-hormone driven rant. I am crazy when I’m menstrual. I get through rough patches with my diet with YOUR help, my friends and family. I’m really grateful for that.

I am about 2 months into my new job and I do like it, but it is very high stress, high pressure. I tend to prefer this for the mere fact that I like to be busy, distracted, consumed in work… it makes my day go by faster, it helps me sleep well (the best sleeping aid is work that requires focus) and when I’m dealing with other rough patches in life, it’s 8 hours where my mind is not focused on that, but on work. My only complaint is that my coping skills, as far as I’m concerned, are not up to par. It’s funny because within the past 2 weeks, I’ve had about 3 people tell me they admire my courage & strength and how I “hold it together” when shit goes crazy in my life. I think I just have an outstanding poker face. Truth be told, I’m a ball of stress over spilled milk, let alone anything serious. I worry about worrying. I really need to find an outlet or method of de-stressing. I have been struggling with being happy for what feels like forever but is really just about a couple months. Everyone knows when it rains it pours and this couldn’t be more true for me. I try really hard to be grateful. Grateful that I have a job; not any job, but an excellent job, with a reputable company. All my coworkers have been wonderful, friendly and helpful. I am grateful for my dog who I know will never betray me, appreciates me and unconditionally loves me… Grateful for two best friends who are honest, loyal and truly there for me….Grateful for knowing I actively think about decisions I make, things I say, things I do; how this affects others, how this affects me and being a good person. Of course I am grateful for my readers, your comments, your opinions, support and inspiring stories that motivate me to continue on my journey in health and fitness. I think it’s important to reflect on the wonderful things you do have in life when you get caught up focusing on the negative. I’ve always believed what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I should be the strongest girl ever by the end of 2012. What a trying year it’s been! I’m looking forward to brighter days.

Back to positive stories! I participated in Barbells for Boobs at Crossfit Woburn Saturday and with the support and dedication of a great partner, we ripped through Helen meets Grace and as a gym raised >$7k! I felt exhilarated being there. Anytime I get through a workout, I reflect on the progress I’ve made. A gal who never played sports, never worked out, never had an athletic bone in her body… here I am running, rowing, lifting, pulling, pushing and… I LOVE IT! I’ll never be one of the best, but I’ll always do my best! Here’s a great group shot from Saturday:

Some other fun ones:

Oh yes, I love any opportunity to be creative and festive!

One of my amazing best friends, Shayna. I’ve known Shayna since the day she was born! To watch her kick some ass Saturday was such a proud “big sister” moment for me. And Shayna is 3 lbs away from losing FIFTY lbs through Paleo. Congrats, Shay! XO

I hope everyone had a safe, fun halloween! Thanksgiving is next! I think I’ll start posting and sharing some recipes for your Paleo Thanksgiving! Happy November!