N'oatmeal

I miss oatmeal. 

like woah. 

Nothing starts the day off quite like a giant bowl of hot mus. 

Primal Britain has a recipe for Paleo Porridge that FastPaleo.com introduced to me...

I have been fairly skeptical of "paleo"izing breakfast options. Sure I've had some tasty paleo- "pancakes" but they aren't pancakes. They are in the shape of pancakes, I am eating them at breakfast, I could pour maple syrup on them, but it is still not in fact a pancake.
Don't get me started on waffles....

But Primal Britain's recipe is in fact delicious and reminds me somewhat of the instant oatmeal I'd eat as a kid (or a college student). Anyone else remember eating banana nut oatmeal growing up? Somehow those geniuses at Quaker infused a packet of powdery business with the bananaiest of flavor without actually harming any bananas in the making.

This recipe is similar... but better... and I'm sorry, real bananas are used.
 I created my own version this morning and it really is quite tasty, consistency is perfect and its packed with good fats and protein.

Liz's N'Oatmeal

Serves 1

1 small, ripe banana

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cashews

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup egg white protein powder (optional)

Put all ingredients in food processor, except  egg white powder, and blitz until desired consistency is reached. Don't over blend, it'll get too mushy.

Pour food processor contents into a small sauce pan and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and slowly sift in egg white powder stirring well to fully incorporate.

Serve with dried cherries or raisins on top. 

nom nom.

tolerance is overrated or the revolution ceases, but the practice carries on

Sometimes I can't decide on a blog post title, so I make them irrationally long.

Bootycamp challenge ended last week and we sweated till we dropped in a final mountain climber challenge... and then we sweated some more.

Some before and after photos are currently posted on the Portland Fit Body Bootcamp facebook page and if you are looking to be inspired, look no further than to these amazing folks. All together, revolutioners lost more than 400 pounds. Amazing!

While I am super excited to buy new pants (smaller pants- I should clarify), the benefit of the challenge was more than shedding some unwanted pounds. I proved to myself that in spite of torn ligaments, flooding apartments, new found food allergies and anything else that was thrown my way, I could survive, if not thrive. My amazing bootcamp fambly, fabulous friends, and of course my own family, helped me through some crazy ish.

I now have the Wonder Years theme song stuck in my head... Have a little help from my friends...

Call me crazy, stubborn or just stupid, but I only took two weeks off class after I tore my ankle to shreds before I couldn't help but wake up at the ass crack of dawn to indulge in my 6 am power hour.
I am almost back up to speed (hey I held my own in the mountain climbers competition...)

While the revolution has ended, I've picked up some dietary habits that will probably not go away anytime soon. After the initial "AH WHAT DO I EAT ? THIS ISN'T VEGAN" freak out, I have really enjoyed the Whole30 (44) challenge. I appreciate the emphasis on whole foods and going back to basics.
And I feel so much better.
I have energy, I feel happy, I sleep. I don't need 40 cups of coffee a day (just the 3.5). I haven't been sick with a cold or flu since Christmas, a record indeed. And trips to the doctor and ER are now due only to clumsiness, rather than unexplained stomach cramps and vomiting.

I started eating fish and eggs around Christmas, and two months later, in preparation for some fancy solo valentines day dinner, I found myself skinning and boning a chicken.  

Boning. Not my activity of choice. Wait. Well....

Never mind.

I'm sure my poor mother is horribly confused, I don't blame her. We've been having the same "so what do you eat" conversation for years. Its been a variation of "if it has a face, I don't eat it..." and "dairy will kill me" ( flair for the dramatic much? )


But now, while dairy will still wreak havoc on my tummy,  my former grain and bean friends are also stirring up trouble, as my lovely doctor explained to me. Not by any means celiac or gluten intolerant, just sensitive. Awesome. I'm sensitive. Neat.  



In spite of this softer hallmark side of Liz of new found sensitivities, I suppose my mantra hasn't changed all that much. Moderation in all things, know what you're eating and where it comes from, processed foods suck. etc. etc. I'm just avoiding titles like lacto-pesca-ovo-vegfoodatarian.

So what do I eat?

Organic and local fruits, vegetables, white meat and seafood. Please see this glimpse of Portland Reality to understand.

But let me translate...

Food!

Upside Down or Paleowaht?

Well, I feel as if my kitchen  whole world has been turned upside down.

As I announced earlier, I started incorporating less-than-vegan options into my diet for health reasons, which to some may seem backassward, but such is life.

I've done some egg experimentation (or eggpermentation... badum psh) , ate some chat-fish (that's for you suz), mingled with some shrimp and taken on a fairly lactose intolerant pescatarian approach to dining. Admittedly (and I'm sorry hard-core vegs), I've enjoyed it. I feel better. A LOT better.

BUT NOW, of course. Its going to get more complicated. Why, you ask? Because, it is me. And I am complicated.  Enjoy it.

For the next 44 days, my writing will take a detour from the typical vegan delights and will chronicle a new crazy journey....

My fantastic workout family at Portland Fitbody Bootcamp  kicking 2012 off with a New Year's Revolution, a six-week fitness transformation challenge. Not like I'm competitive or anything... I just want to say I plan on winning ;)
Not only does the challenge encompass the booty kickin workout five days a week I've learned to love, but also a whole-food diet challenge i.e. PALEO.

---Quick breakdown for those unaware check out Paleo Plan. They outline what to and what not to eat. There is some debate around coffee, booze, and dairy. But basically, from what I understand. Meat, veggies, fruit = good. Everything else (processed foods, beans, grains, sugar) =bad. ----



Now, I have to say. I am SUPER skeptical of paleo. But in my defense its the same skepticism I have of strict vegan diets. Villanizing food groups, grains in the case of Paleo or all animal products in the case of veganism, seems to be detrimental.

I'm a big fan of moderation in all things

Do I think the American diet is FAR too reliant on grain and processed crap? YES ABSOLUTELY
Do I think we eat too much mass produced, factory farmed meat? UHM DUH

Should we completely cut out grain, beans and all meat products? mmmm NO.

Just one girls opinion..

Now, as I've mentioned before, I don't believe there is an end all be all diet (and I don't mean "I need to lose 60 pound by tomorrow diet" but rather lifestyle diet). Different things work for different people. My awesome sister-in-law and I have been debating/discussing the merits and detriments of the paleo diet, as she and my brother have been experimenting.

The one thing I can get behind in paleo (and in most lifestyle diets, for that matter), is the incorporation of more vegetables, fruit and elimination of processed items with ingredients you can't even pronounce. I figure if one of my little nephews can't read it, I shouldn't eat it.

But, I'm sorry the point of all this (there is one I promise), is that I will be putting most of my skepticism aside and challenging myself to eat a mostly paleo diet for the six week challenge. I say mostly because, I sure as hell am not eating cows or pigs or chickens, just fish (Please make a fish face at this point like I did) and eggs. Things may get boring, but I'm a creative type.

I'll be posting recipes (I will mark veg friendly ones with a V), thoughts, rants, raves and anything else I may feel like sharing.

Extra-flexble vegan: a journey?

The holiday season wouldn't be complete without a flu bug or two...

Those that know me well, know that I have a lazy immune system, awesome right. However I finally got a bug that stumped the doctors this summer-- flu symptoms but no real bug. I went through doctor appt after doctor appt trying to figure out what the deal is but nothing would reveal itself.

This bug visited again to wish me a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Alas, it was not a bug that was torturing me, sadly it was my diet. After a couple doctor appts and consultations and an internal struggle or two... I have to abandon my vegan ways.

About 13 years ago, I stopped eating red meat of my own volition (or because my older sister did it and she was  is like the coolest ever). During the next ten years or so, I slowly reduced animal product intake until committing to a vegan diet 2.5 years ago.

Now because of diet induced gluten and soy sensitivity, and multiplying GI issues, I have to move away from veg and towards a pescatarianish diet. Translation-- no meat, no dairy, yes eggs, yes fish.

I am of the opinion that everyone's body needs a little something different to operate its best. Maybe its evolutionary or cultural, but we all process things differently and subscribing to the same diet across the board just wouldn't work. Not everyone can or should commit to the same vegan, or vegetarian, or paleo, or pickles-only or whatever diet. The most important consideration, in my humble opinion, is to know where my food comes from, how it is processed and how it plays into my own health.


So I hope people will be supportive of this shift. All the recipes I post here will still be 100% vegan, because they are oh so tasty and awesome.