Friday, June 17, 2011

More on Paleo lifestyle challenges

Dang I'm sore today. Whoo. It was a little cooler lastnight than usual, and I was sleeping hard when that alarm clock went off. I was tired. I got to my workout a few minutes late and had to go straight into some light jogging. My body did not like that. Yesterday's workout involved lunging up and down the football field, taking a "break" at each end to do 50 sit-ups. Needless to say, my abs and thighs are very sore, and I'm sort of overall wiped out physically from my week of workouts. The odd thing, though, is that I somehow got road rash on my ass from doing yesterday's workout! I know, groty, TMI, etc., but it's so very strange and I can't figure out how it happened. Maybe from the heat? Or maybe from the repetitive sit-up motion? But I was on a mat, so??? The funny thing is that the trainer said before the workout, "Your thighs will hate you today, but your butt will thank you tomorrow!" WRONG! :) Anyway, looking forward to a weekend of active recovery.

The Paleo issue I want to kind of address today is all the TIME involved. I read something today in sparkpeople from one of the members who said, "Slow food is good food." So true! It seems like whatever your diet is like, the more TLC you put into it, the better it tastes, and with the Paleo diet, since all the food is unprocessed, you have to do all the "processing" yourself. Here are some ideas I've been working with, feel free to pitch in other ideas...

First, crock-pot cookery rules. When preparing a meal for my family, it's usually a game of odd timing. I cut, sautee, chop, brown, rub, etc., but it's not always a do-one-thing-right-after-the-next deal. So I've found that I can actually save time if I make two meals at once when I'm in the kitchen. This also saves on dishwashing time by using the same knife, cutting board, etc. wherever practical. When you're done prepping the crock-pot meal, you can just put it in the fridge and then in the morning, pull it back out and turn it on before you go to work. Then when you get home it's all ready to go. Paleo Mama has a good page of Paleo crock-pot recipes.

Another thing that's really helpful if you work in an office like I do, is to set up your office or cube with gear. Hopefully you have a fridge and microwave in a break room somewhere you can use, but if not, you can get an inexpensive small fridge on ebay. You'll also want to have plates, cups, dish detergent, napkins, knives, spoons, and forks tucked away somewhere. I work in a secured facility, so I'm stuck with plastic knives. They totally suck for cutting, but I guess it's better then trying to hack at stuff with my keys! You'll also want to keep some supplies on hand there, like salt, pepper, lemon juice, almond butter or sunbutter, vinegar, etc., because it will save you time and effort dragging stuff back and forth from home. I used to have a hot pot also, but I didn't wind up using it as much as I thought I would. I'm practically a master at meal creation at my desk... Sad but true. I'm so busy at work, and I'm similarly so busy at home. So, I just bring the food and assemble it while I eat, which often involves a lot of prep. I eat a lot of salad for lunch, usually topped with some kind of awesome MEAT. Leftovers are another great option.

Food processors are great for some things, but for mincing vegetables (even garlic) they really don't save any time in the long run. You get better at chopping the more you practice, and when I use a food processor, there is time spent assembling, disassembling, and cleaning the thing. I don't get it out unless I really need it!

Of course, the grand time-saver will always be muti-tasking. I can be prepping food while I'm on the phone (even a conference call). I can be peeling and slicing things while talking to Kevin or the kids. I don't watch tv too much, but if you do, that would be a good time to work on food prep as well.

30 Day Song Challenge
Day 24: A Song That You Want Played at Your Funeral
"Requiem in D Minor" by W.A. Mozart

I've heard a lot of people say that when they die, they want their friends and family to have a party, remember the good times, laugh, think of them fondly, play joyous music, and focus on how he / she has gone to a better place. NOT ME. I want hundreds of people at my funeral, and I want them all to be utterly inconsolable. I want loud wailing. I want fainting. I want sobbing. I want people to throw themselves over my casket and into the path of the pallbearers. I want fights to break out. I want people screaming out things like, "WHY?!" and "It's NOT FAIR!" I mean yes, I do want them to eventually recover and go on to live normal lives again, but I think grieving is healthy, and I don't think we give it enough credence these days. Most of the time when I go to a funeral, I don't even feel like it's proper to cry any more, like everyone is struggling to hold back the tears. Not at my funeral. Everyone should feel free to just let it all out. Plus of course, I'd like to know that I was missed. ;)

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