Making Paleo Easy

I think that when people first learn about paleo or Whole30, the first thing they think is "I don't want to do that...it sounds so hard!". It can be daunting at first glance. No grains, legumes, dairy, white potato, refined salts, refined sugars, and processed oils. The immediate response can be "Seriously? Then what is left to eat?". It's a totally reasonable response. The typical North American diet consists of a lot of processed foods, and part of the focus of Whole30 is ridding your body of all the sketchy things they put in our food nowadays. Ever read the packaging on something you're eating and come across a bunch of ingredients that belong on the periodic table? Exactly.

Anyway, I thought today would be a fun day to talk about some great ways to make Paleo and Whole30 easy. And when I say easy, I really do mean easy. I always laugh when I see Martha Stewart doing something on her show, and she says "it's easy!". If you have all the time in the world, of course you can spend the morning trimming your moss garden with gilded manicure scissors before giving your purebred dogs a shiatsu massage, but only after you used a three thousand dollar contraption to perfectly iron your bedsheets. Please. When I say easy, it's coming from a girl who works like 48 hours a week, so you know I'm being real.

5 Ways to Make Paleo Easy:

1. Grocery shopping: I know this sounds dumb. "Wow, you mean I have to buy food? Duh!". Honestly, though, making sure you have quick access throughout the week to Paleo-friendly foods will help you stay on track. When you've had a long day, and you're exhausted and can't fathom stopping at the grocery store, you'll be glad you've got a fridge full of awesome options.
   
2. Check out some new recipes, or get your hands on a couple new cookbooks! Having some new awesome foods and experimenting with new recipes will really help keep things interesting! I recommend these: Well Fed, Well Fed 2, Food for Humans, and Paleo Breakfasts and Lunches On The Go
   
3. Keep it simple. I know I just finished telling you to try new recipes, but sometimes the awesome part of Paleo is just reaching in the fridge to grab some pre-grilled chicken breast, some chopped up raw peppers and carrots, and a handful of olives and calling it dinner. Some mornings for breakfast, I find myself eating some good quality hard salami, a little bowl of blueberries, a palmful of cashews, and some sliced red peppers. Is it a weird breakfast from a traditional point of view? Sure. But it's super delicious, super easy to throw together first thing in the morning, and it's very satisfying.
   
4. Don't skip the fat. I know the whole time you grew up everything was screaming "NO FAT! LOW FAT! 100 CALORIES!" but fat is not your enemy. Good fats are good. Things like nuts, olives, and good oils (coconut oil, walnut oil, olive oil) are things you can add to your meals to make them even more satisfying.
   
5. Plan ahead for times of temptation. I love the occasional Larabar, and although I try not to indulge too often, I usually keep one in my desk drawer. We have a weekly event in our office that usually involves a lot of people gathered around some very non-Paleo (but super delicious-looking) foods. Sometimes it doesn't tempt me at all, but on the days where I almost cave and stuff my face full of pretzels and marshmallow Peeps, I'm glad I have a relatively innocuous Larabar sitting in my office.

Happy Clean Eating, everyone!