Planning Ahead

Hello fellow Paleo fanatics! You are more than half way through the 30 day challenge and have already made a huge step in improving how you feel each and every day. I am going to give a little input on how to to keep Paleo: 1) delicious; 2) Easy to plan; 3) Reasonably priced

Breakfast this morning consisted of:

4 eggs, 4 pieces of bacon, 1/3 avocado and my home made picco de gallo! This meal costs <$2, it is filling, delicious and I never get sick of it! I'll switch up the bacon and use ham, turkey, chicken/turkey sausage, whatever meat you like! Leftovers work great for breakfast also

I like to get some tackling fuel in my system before my morning strength and WODs so I have the energy to push through the day! I try to tell my roommates and anyone I know to make sure you eat some breakfast in the morning. Breakfast provides tons of great things for hard working athletes like all of you!!! It gets the metabolism going, it makes you less hungry throughout the day and is vital for your muscles and brain. You will be focused in on your deadlift as well as the afternoon meeting with your boss!

Here is a little side that goes great with anything, Salsa! I love salsa. Anything that ends up not tasting that great, or if my chicken is a little dry, or the plain eggs not doing it for me, I kick it up with Salsa! I use to spend tons of money on processed, liquified salsa that was 1) expensive and 2) had other "stuff" in it I didn't want. Stuff like SUGAR -- bleehhhhh. Salsa can be made fresh and last the whole week for pennies on the dollar! I went to Foodmaxx for some great deals on my fruits and veggies. I know its the same stuff they get at savemart for way less (hopefully most of it is local)

You need:

3-4 roma tomatoes (.57 cents / lb)

Cilantro (3 huge bushels for .99 cents)

Onion (cheap anywhere)

Jalapeños or I prefer Serrano peppers (much spicier -- use half or whole and clear out some seeds)

1 garlic clove

Garlic powder, pepper, and a little lime juice

Throw it all together and chop it up in a food processor or "Salsa Maker" if you have one (If you don't, you need to go to the Fresno Fair and get one!)

Chop it all up together and adjust for taste. Make a few batches and you're set for the week! Mess around with the recipe and adjust to your personal preference! Once you have this stuff, you won't go back to the ol' Bobby Salazar's Salsa, especially once you see how much money you can save!

I am also going to show you all a little view into how I prep my week. I try to think ahead on which nights I am going to have night class (usually Monday - Thursday) and what days I know I have other plans.

Asparagus baked in the oven for 12 minutes at 400 degrees drizzled with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), garlic and peppar. Keep it fast, simple and you'd be surprised how great it tastes.

Tupperware is one of my favorite things as I have told you before. I will usually try to cook a few pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts so I always have protein on tap! A lot of times I will eat that with asparagus, broccoli, salsa, and avocado. Other times, I will use that chicken breast and use it to make something else like chicken salads and try several different ways of making those creative. A little bit of red wine vinegar or EVOO and balsamic and you have a great tasting meal that all your co-workers and classmates are going to "Oooo" and "Aahhhh" over. It's incredible to see how much one persons impact is over a whole group of friends/co-workers.

The magical EVOO and Balsamic! I would be lost without these two. This is one thing that I really recommend spending a little bit extra for multiple reasons. First, better quality really does taste better. Second, I did some research and TONS of EVOO are really not being 100% honest! Terrible, I know!!! A lot of your usual EVOO only contain 10% olive oil and the rest is soy/canola oil!!! WTF! I know, I was upset when I heard this as well. I recommend stopping by "We Olive" in old fig garden, where they have the BEST olive oils as well as balsamic and other incredible ingredients. Truly made in italy this stuff is around $1.00 per ounce, but is the real deal. Bring in your own personal container and you can fill it right up! There are certain items that you can't really bargain your way around and you are better off to just spend the extra dime. This is one of them!

Keep up the great work everyone! Remember, Paleo can be great tasting, reasonably priced and always effective! Don't forget to message me on Facebook or Twitter if you have any questions/recommendations. Thanks for reading :)