Archive - September 2014

Asked for a decaf coffee this morning…what they gave me is definitely not decaf.  I don’t know what is going on with me lately, but the anxiety is awful when I have caffeine.

But that’s not what this post is about.  I wanted to write about my trip to California!  I spent some time in Oakland this past weekend.  It’s a good area to go if you’re Paleo/Gluten free.  So many places with so many options, not like New Jersey.  The first night I arrived I ate at a pizza place called Zachary’s in Oakland that offered gluten free thin crust pizza.  Gluten free pizza is the only thing I will eat that I don’t make myself.  Shared one pizza with pineapple and jalapeño, and another with pesto, black olives, and artichoke hearts.  They were pretty, pretty good!  Next morning I had leftover pizza as breakfast.  Yum.  Then off to Sonoma we went!  It was 100 degrees out!  We visited a few wineries and ate some dark chocolate.  The girls wanted to go to this place called Homeroom in Oakland that had gluten free pasta…I just enjoyed an awesome salad with hot peppers, bacon, and feta cheese.  We were so tired that night, so we fell asleep pretty early.

The next day we went to San Francisco.  It was a beautiful day!  We decided to grab breakfast, so we ended up at this little place.  I got a decaf coffee, scrambled eggs (organic), bacon, and GLUTEN FREE blueberry pancakes (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist).  They weren’t anything like Jimmy’s pancakes, but they sufficed.  We were having so much fun that we didn’t eat lunch.  We went to some shops, and visited Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe (If you don’t understand the significance of this place, that’s okay).  We didn’t eat there.  We went to this place Venus; vegan and gluten free options like whoa (not super Paleo friendly though).  I got a steak with some mashed potatoes and zucchini.  It was rather delicious.  A lot of the stuff on the menu had corn…so I couldn’t try a lot of it.  But, if you’re gluten free, then the East Bay is a good place to go spend some time!

Next day, we headed back to NJ!  Can’t wait for Jimmy to make me some of the Best Damn Paleo Pizza EVER!

“And then I realized, adventures are the best way to learn.”

I’m ready to take the next step…meditation.  I’ve always been interested in Buddhism and meditating.  I’ve read a few books on the subject by Noah Levine.  I’m reading a new book called “Beginner’s Guide to Meditation”.  I think, for me, this practice coupled with my Paleo lifestyle is what I need.  The first thing I’m learning about is breathing.  Quality of mind is controlled by breathing.  We have a mind, but our mind is not or identity.  You have to observe your breath enough so that you feel comfortable.  That is why a lot of people will tell you to take a deep breath when you’re feeling stressed.  My anxiety and stress make me feel like I can’t take a deep breath, which is why I feel it’s time to take this step in achieving optimum health.  I’m just wired this way.  Many times I find myself overreacting to situations.  One thing I’m working on and seeing the results is my road rage!  Bazinga.

I learned a lot about meditation, although I have yet to practice it.  It allows you to become more aware of your feelings and emotions.  It allows you to endure and overcome them, and ideally allows peace to take over.  Our mind should not be an enemy, but sometimes I’m convinced mine is completely against me.  Following a Paleo lifestyle keeps mine in check.  It balances our gut flora with our mental clarity.  There’s a lot of articles out there supporting the findings that a Paleo diet will help with mental disorders.  Paleo is a good thing!  I’ll keep you posted on my meditation journeys.

Being Paleo is all about balance of mind, body, and soul… I can’t stress this enough.  Next, I’m going to look into yoga and binaural beats meditation.

 “I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you in which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace.  When you are in that place in you, and I am that place in me, we are One.”

Up until January 1, 2013, I would generally enjoy several cans of Coca-Cola a day, since the age of 4 probably (don’t judge, it was the early 80s).  When I was in my early teens, I started to see the symptoms of anxiety, although I didn’t know what was going on with me.  When I first started suffering, it was really hard on me.  I didn’t really know what it was, how to control it, how to get through it; I’d end up convinced I was about to die, and completely exhausted once it passed.  Never attributed them to anything but some kind of “chemical imbalance”, or maybe I was “just at that age”.  I continued to drink soda and coffee, never knowing I was overstimulating myself and most likely causing, or at the very least, making my anxiety worse.  It’s only now that I KNOW caffeine was a prime factor in my anxiety attacks.

When I first started Paleo, I was very strict about not having any coffee, eventually I went to a small cup daily.  Over the past couple weeks/months, I have noticed I’ve been drinking more coffee than usual.  I’ve had a lot of events taking place in my life, and I’ve been feeling a little worn out, so that might be the reason for the increased intake.  Before I thought of the coffee as the cause, I noticed I was having more anxiety attacks, more frequently, and much more severe than I have had in a long time.  Thought maybe it was just the stress of life weighing on me.  The other day I must have had 3 or 4 cups of coffee (not normal behavior for me), and it was during the last cup that I noticed the attack.  I couldn’t breathe, there was pressure on my chest, I couldn’t focus…and then it dawned on me — I’m starting to have a severe sensitivity to caffeine.

Over the past few days I decided to not have any caffeine-or any coffee at all.  No anxiety.  The withdrawals have been a little rough, but I’m dealing.  Today I tried decaf coffee (which can contain small traces of caffeine) for the first time, a small cup…no anxiety, except maybe some self provoked by the anticipation that I may or may not have an attack because of the coffee.  I guess that settles it, no more caffeine for me.  I should be happy that I figured out a HUGE factor as to why I had anxiety attacks, but I’m a little bummed.  I just have to be careful because I read that there can be caffeine in things you wouldn’t even think had caffeine: decaf coffee, chocolate, pain relievers, and some breath fresheners.  I’m allergic to a lot of things, so being sensitive to caffeine doesn’t shock me.  Just goes to further support my statement that says, we get comfortable feeling crappy, that we don’t know what it would feel like to just feel great.  I accepted the attacks as the norm, boy, was I wrong.

“Caffeine, after all, is such a benevolent, socially sanctioned drug – how could those cuddly polar bears in the Coke ads, or Fred, the avuncular Dunkin’ Donuts guy, be pushers?”

Football season is upon us, and while in previous years I was never the biggest football fan, I’ve grown to love it…mainly, because I’m in two fantasy leagues!  Unfortunately, your usual football Sunday snacks won’t fare too well if you’re Paleo.  So here’s my top 5 to help you enjoy your Sundays and stick with being Paleo!

Number 1 on my list is my favorite new snack; it’s primal – Goat Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers

Ingredients

• 15-17 mini peppers with the tops cut off and seeds removed
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 6 oz. goat cheese
• garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Mix the ricotta cheese, goat cheese, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Take your peppers and fill them with the mixture.  Preheat your oven to broil, and place your stuffed peppers on a cookie tray lined with foil.  Cook about 5 minutes or until browned slightly.  If you’re feeling fancy, you can add cooked, seasoned chicken, then put the mixture on top.

Number 2 – A recipe I found on paleomg.com for spaghetti and meatball bites!

Number 3 – Use the Best Damn Paleo/Primal Pizza Recipe, and turn them into breadsticks or garlic knots!  Heat up some sauce and serve!

Number 4 – Because anything is better with bacon… Bacon Wrapped Butternut Squash Bites!

and Number 5 – No Sunday would be complete without… Jalapeño Lime Chicken Wings with Paleo Ranch Dressing!

What are some of your favorite Paleo finger foods??

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
– Vince Lombardi –