Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 33
January 9, 2015
Recovering Properly After Workout
It took me a good seven or eight years to figure out why I wasn’t racing and recovering properly, despite following all the advice in triathlon and running magazines.
Actually, you might argue that the reasons was precisely that- I was following all the advice!
It’s too confusing.
I began my path to sports-recovery enlightenment with The Paleo Diet for Athletes, by Dr. Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, back when I read it in 2005. (By the way, if you’re an athlete and haven’t read this, it’s a must do!)
Since then, I’ve gotten the hang of what to eat, how much and when for any type of training, from my long endurance rides to shorter workouts done later in the day and even what to eat to bridge that grey area in the afternoon when you’re getting hungry but don’t want to head to that evening yoga or spin class with a full belly.
One of my favorite options is to make smoothies, both to prepare for as well as to recover from long training. Tomorrow, when I run the 50 mile ultra in Catalina, you can be sure I’ll be filling my boots with great sources of clean carbohydrates when I cross the finish line…something like my recipe for a smoothie which is yours to peek at (click here) as a preview into Pocket Paleo Workout.
Joe Friel himself wrote the foreward, which meant the world to me!
Enjoy!
January 8, 2015
Reinventing Dinner Leftovers into Delicious Breakfasts
Leftovers.
Yuck.
The mere word conjures up images of dried out chicken, fish with an unpleasant odor and a hardened layer of fat over what was once some lovely just from a grass-fed roast at the bottom of a glass roasting dish.
Well, what if there were a way to easily and quickly take your leftover dinner and transform it into an interesting meal the next day, for lunch or even, gasp, for breakfast?
In Pocket Paleo Breakfast, I dedicate a whole chapter just to that. Ten recipes all about taking that leftover chicken, steak or even bison burger and recreating something fresh and new the next day for any meal that suits you.
Click here for a sneak peek into one example: Grass-fed Rib-Eye Becomes Steak and Eggs!
January 7, 2015
Soup-To-Go Takes On A Whole New Meaning
Let’s face it. We live in a hectic time and for many, squeezing in the time to eat is a luxury.
It can easily end up being more along the lines of a collection of random foods thrown together haphazardly and inhaled in a hurry, rather than an enjoyable meal.
While part of the strategy to fix this should absolutely include addressing the schedule and trying to incorporate meal time as a dedicated ‘appointment’ several times during the day, we can also target the solution by including some meals to eat on the go.
Like soup.
Don’t worry, I won’t be suggesting you try driving while ladling spoonfuls of bone broth into your mouth.
I’m talking smoothies.
Or you might prefer to call it a puree.
Why not?
After all, if we are talking about needing to get in some quality calories while being pressed for time, like, for example, all of you soccer moms out there that are whisking the little ones to and fro, why not have something you can drink while you’re in the car?
You likely already have a bottle of water, or a cup of tea when you’re behind the wheel; drinking a beverage doesn’t pose a safety risk while driving, so rather than trying to shove in too much food too quickly after going too long without eating and crashing…right when it’s time to get the kids to swim practice…you can prepare ahead of time and simply grab your chilled puree of soup in a thermos from the fridge and hit the minivan in no time flat.
In Pocket Paleo, Snacks, I give a few examples of just this type of meal, but anything goes. Whatever soup you made with whichever veggies and any protein (sans bones!) will blend perfectly after its cooled down, making it conducive to separating it out into portions to go, and that’s that!
Blended Tom Yum with chicken, anyone? (Won’t hurt to combat the cold season while you’re at it!)
January 6, 2015
What is a Snack, Really?
What do you think of when you think about a snack? An energy bar? A handful of pretzels? A low-calorie packaged item of some sort meant to tide you through until the next meal?
According to Wikipedia, a snack is “a small portion of food eaten between meals. The food might be snack food—items like potato chips or baby carrots—but could also simply be a small amount of any food.”
Their definition goes on to tell us that ” Excessive snacking has been implicated in the increasing prevalence of obesity in many countries“, while “healthy snacks include those that have significant vitamins, are low in saturated fat and added sugars and have a low sodium content”.
My definition of a snack is slightly different.
I think a snack is, get ready for it, another meal. I think it’s no different from breakfast or lunch or dinner. Ideally, all meals should consist of real food, and it should be fresh, local, seasonal and unprocessed.
Sure, there are going to be times when this isn’t an option but if we simply rethink what a snack is, as well as all meals for that matter, we open up a world of possibilities.
One approach I often use with clients is to stop using the words breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and just refer to them as meals 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on.
By ceasing to classify foods as appropriate for certain meals only, we then create far more options in terms of what proteins, vegetables, fats and fruits we eat at any given time of the day.
In Pocket Paleo Snacks, I go into detail with recipes for many a snack occasion, from in the workplace, to on the go as well as for those rare times when you actually have a bit of extra time and can create something a bit more interesting than you’d normally enjoy for a snack.
January 5, 2015
Pocket Paleo, Breakfast, Snacks and Workout Available NOW!
It’s been a long time coming and I’m thrilled to announce my third publication is available today!
Pocket Paleo is a series of three cookbooks, with 50 recipes each, focused on three particularly challenging eating situations when it comes to keeping Paleo: breakfast, snacks and workouts.
Yours for the taking now from both iTunes as well as kindle!
Get your copy today or purchase it to someone else as a great New Year’s gift!
At only $2.99 each, you can have the whole set and 150 recipes for less than ten bucks.
Happy, Healthy New Year!
January 4, 2015
Pocket Paleo: Workout
Book three in the new ebook series, Pocket Paleo, Workout is yours for the taking. Pre-order today and start reading tomorrow when they all go live!
When it comes to eating paleo, pre- and postworkout foods are some of the most challenging meals.
What you eat when you’re training for a triathlon is far different from what you eat if you’re about to do a Crossfit workout, and both vary still from your snacks if you’re just going for a quick jog. Add to that your exercise goals, body weight and what time of day you’re working out, and you’ve got a lot to take into account!
From high-intensity training to mid-level exercise to low-key workouts, this indispensable book has the right paleo recipes for your regime, goals and body type.
POCKET PALEO: BEFORE AND AFTER WORKOUT RECIPES includes
— 50 recipes, like blue Hawaiian sweet potato and Maui onion hash, two-step banana and egg pancakes, chilled coconut breve latte, savory yam and apple Napoleons and more
— Fueling for volume training and racing, strength sessions and lighter workouts
— Quick and easy recipes
Get it on Kindle or iTunes today and click here to check out a sneak peek into this book with my recipe for Blue Hawaiian Sweet Potato and Maui Onion Hash!
January 3, 2015
Pocket Paleo: Snacks
Day Two of my little book promo is here!
When it comes to eating Paleo, snacks can be especially challenging; but really a snack and a meal should contain the same ingredients: fresh, real food and nothing else!
Start with a base of veggies, followed by some lean protein and finish off with some healthy fat and fruit, and you’ll have your perfect paleo (tem)plate. Whether you’re having a snack at home, work or school, following this schematic will ensure all your meals have the ideal paleo balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Keeping on top of what you’re eating as a snack between the other meals in a day can truly be the deal-maker in staying on track with your paleo regime, and maintaining an even keel in your blood sugar is key to keeping your fat-blasting metabolism on high.
POCKET PALEO: SNACKS (for your Kindle as well as your iPad) includes
— 50 recipes, like homemade salt-free jerkies and savory smoothies
— Building paleo snack basics
— Quick and easy, in the office, kid-friendly, on-the-go, seasonal and holiday-inspired paleo snack recipes and more
Pre- order today on amazon or iTunes and click here for your sneak peek into a recipe from Pocket Paleo Snacks, Superfood Delight “Trail Mix”!
January 2, 2015
Pocket Paleo: Breakfast
Three days until my third publication, Pocket Paleo, is live!
That equals three days of sneak peak recipes for you and one day each for the three mini Paleoista Books as the theme for a few days of blog posts, too!
Available on both iTunes and amazon, you can preorder today.
Pocket Paleo, Breakfast, focuses on one of the most challenging meals when it comes to going Paleo.
It’s the most important meal of the day, but why do so many of us have it all wrong? Skipping breakfast to save calories or because we don’t have enough time does nothing other than increase our chances of making poor meal choices. And when trying to eat paleo, it can be struggle to move away from old standards like cereal or oatmeal and still eat something easy to prepare but filling and healthy.
So what does a good paleo breakfast consist of? The same thing any other meal does—vegetables, protein and fat, like soft-boiled eggs over spinach with some avocado and a side of berries, or even a five-minute well-balanced smoothie. By starting the morning off the right way, you’ll set yourself up for sustained energy and focus day after day.
POCKET PALEO: BREAKFAST includes
— 50 recipes, like sun-dried tomato and basil Sonoma omelets, bacon and melon roll ups, breakfast Carpaccio and Paleoista’s breakfast fajitas
— Building paleo breakfast basics
— Tips for adventurous eating, kid-friendly modifications, eating on-the-run and more
Check it out on iTunes or amazon today; and click here for a sneak peak into one of the recipes in the book, perfect for this time of year, my Paleoista Cold Buster Smoothie!
January 1, 2015
Happy New Year; Here’s To Your Healthiest Year Yet!
I woke up giddy for all this year has in store and I’ve got so much to share with you!
I’ve hinted here and there at some of the things I’ve been working on and over the next few weeks, you’ll be privvy to a lot of new and exicitng things that Paleoista as a brand brings to the table this year, beginning in January.
First and foremost and without further ado…Pocket Paleo, the book series, is availble now for pre-order and it’s yours to read, effective Monday. Three ebooks, all about what to keep while keeping completely Paleo for Breakfast, Snacks, and Workout are all available for all tablets. Buy them now and get ready to read them in just four days!
I geared the books, each of which have 50 recipes, toward the eating situations that I’ve found over the years working with clients prove to be the most challenging: for breakfast, for snacks and around the time of a workout.
People get what to eat for lunch and dinner as in this day and age, a piece of wild slamon on a salad for lunch or a rare filet mgnon with a side of garlic spinach for dinner are two meals that most people would deem as being healhty options.
Where it gets confusing for many, however, is in the realm of eating that has traditionally been inundated with grains and dairy (breakfast), refined, processed pacakged items (snacks) and a host of foodtuff under the broad heading of ‘sports nutrition’ that encompasses anything from archaic recommendations to eat heaps of pasta the night before a run to adding tablets bound togerher with sorbitol (which acts as a binding agent, obviously…and is also clinically used as a laxative) to endless amounts of concoctions made with whey, soy, maltodextrin and good old fashioned, chocolate milk. (Not kidding).
I wrote these three books to provide some insight and ideas to create easy to follow and even easier to prepare recipes fitting all of the above.
Don’t have a kindle? They’re on iTunes, too! Pocket Paleo Breakfast, Snack and Workout are yours for the taking for your iPad as well.
Hint, hint: January is going to be full of surprises, giveaways, promos and more interesting debuts so stay tuned and spread the word!
Now off for your first bout of exercise of the New Year, followed by a healthy Paleoista style breakfast. Pastured eggs over easy with garlic spinach, anyone?
Enjoy the day and may it be the start of your best and healthiest year yet!
December 31, 2014
New Year’s Eve Dining, Paleoista Style
Whatever your plans may be tonight, from attending a gala decked out in the most beautiful gown and tiara you’ve ever come across to a cozy evening spent at home with your significant other, today’s holiday is celebratory-worthy, without a doubt.
For me, there’s nothing more fitting to welcome in the New Year than to host a party at home with a small group of close friends with whom delicious food, good conversation and a a minute toast are shared.
Looking for some good ideas for hors d’oeuvre, side dishes, a main course and even a toast?
Here’s my favourite New Year’s Eve Menu:
Hors d’oeuvre
Fresh Figs
stuffed with toasted pecans, coconut oil caramelization
Uncured , Pastured Bacon Wrapped Dates (just one will do!)
Appetizers
Wild Salmon Carpaccio
served on a bed of arugula drizzled with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper
Radicchio Salad
sprinkled with fresh pomegranate, olive oil and avocado
Main
Alaskan King Crab Legs
simply steamed, served with lemon
Sides
Raw Kale Salad
Steamed Broccoli & Asparagus
Champagne Toast
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Happy 2015! May it be your healthiest year yet!
Nell Stephenson's Blog
