I’m so glad I found myself on John Mattera’s Facebook page and found this primally awesome photo 🙂
FYI, there are some important announcements at the end of the post…
 
The Paleo Challenge is officially one week away. This means that if you plan to do it, I hope this week you are emptying out the fridge and pantry of the precious processed foods you hold so dear (I am actually not kidding here). If you can convince the unsuspecting members of your household to participate with you (like Stephanie did and explained yesterday), then I encourage you to purge your home of the foods that will tempt you. Obviously, if you don’t want to to infringe on the dietary rights of the people in your home don’t, but you’d be surprised how far you can get by just filling the house with Paleo food and seeing how long it takes for your family to notice. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. 😉
I know many of you are excited and a little scared to start this challenge. Your palms get a little sweaty at the idea of cutting out some of foods you’ve spent many years eating. You think it’s going to be incredibly difficult. Only at first. You’re not sure you have what it takes. You do.
But what do you eat? I know me telling you meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, and some fruit is not going to cut it. You need something more specific, more concrete. Well that’s what this post is for.
Spend this week to prepare and go grocery shopping so that this Tuesday you’ll be ready. It’s on like Donkey Kong.
It’s important to remember Paleo really is pretty simple. Don’t over-think it. It boils down to this:
Eat: meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds (preferably organic and grass-fed).
Avoid: grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and processed foodstuffs.
I know some of you *will* want to know the Why. What are the reasons behind adopting this way of eating. I would certainly want to know, and I will go into that in the near future but for now read this awesome article.
Paleo Diet Solution (Or How to Lose 10 Pounds in 14 Days)
For those of you who need to begin preparing I wanted to provide a list of foods, including my personal grocery shopping list to get you started.
To begin, I would go to Paleo friendly stores: Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Whole Foods, and the perimeter of any major market. Also, Sams or Costco has great bulk meats like steak and chick fajitas, lean cuts of meat,  and rotisserie chicken.
I’m a minimalist so I go for the quickest most convenient options and the following will give you just that. We will definitely have to get Ed to teach us a thing or two if you want a little more culinary pizazz to your Paleo options.
So if you’re ready, take this list and print it out. Take it with you this week and get it done.

MY Paleo Shopping List

Protein Meat Sources:
3 Packages frozen chicken breast strips
3 Dozen cage-free eggs
Chicken Sausage
1 Package of each, Lean Ground Beef and Turkey
Deli meats
Whole Rotisserie Chicken
2-3 Packages of Jack Link’s Jerky
Vegetables:
Bag of Spinach
Asparagus Bundles
2 Packages Baby Mushrooms
2-3 Purple onions
3 Bell peppers
Fruit:
5-10 Apples
Bag of oranges (to eat, not sell you prejudiced jerks 🙂
Grapes
Fats:
Almond or Sunflower butter
Olive oil cooking spray
Coconut oil (from Sprouts Market)
Olive oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette
5 Avocados
Raw or Dry Roasted UNSALTED Almonds (or walnuts)
Guacamole
 
* This is just me you may/will have other preferences but I wanted to give you something concrete to work from.
* I eat the same meals over and over, so I pretty much re-buy the same stuff weekly.
* I use vegetables to sauté, mix with eggs, or chop up for salads or food on the go.
* I use fruit, deli meat, jerky and nuts as quick portable food as well.
* Keep jerky and nuts in your car and workplace to have food accessible all the time.
* I try to cook enough meat and veggies for 3-4 meals so I don’t have to cook more than an hour a week.
* I would also invest in a portable 8oz  measurement cup and teaspoon measurement utensil to accurately measure portions.
So… what would you add? The more you contribute to the conversation the more everyone can benefit. If you have a shopping list, share it. Tell us in the comments. Sharing is caring.
 
*UPDATE
Stephanie sent me her Paleo Shopping list for you to use/modify as well
Some must-haves for my weekly shopping list at Trader Joe’s include:
Coconut milk for the coffee
Eggs
Bacon (occasionally)
Shrimp and vegetable stir fry in the frozen section
Frozen shrimp (2-3 lbs)
Grass fed ground beef
2 packages of organic chicken tenders
Avocados
Tomatoes
Asparagus
Zucchini
Shredded cabbage
Green beans
Roasted bell peppers
Tomato sauce sans sugar
Blueberries (frozen when not in season)
Raspberries
Apples
Toasted unsalted slivered almonds
Almond flour
Walnuts
Larabars
That’s the stuff that I’ve always gotta have stocked. I hope this helps!
WOD:
“Cindy”
AMRAP 20
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Air Squats
*NOTE this WOD is a benchmark WOD for the Paleo Challenge, so if you don’t do it today it must be completed by the 1st. 🙂
* This week, Friday there is no 6:30pm class nor Saturday 10am class.