CLEALEO

So creative cooking has been in hiatus for me since I've been packing and moving. I've been lazy and doing my quick paleo meals for lunch and basically boiled eggs and bananas for dinner (sounds odd, but it seriously takes zero effort which is important after a tiring workout). 

I get lots of questions about my eating habits, so since I don't have access to a real computer outside of work yet (still in the box), I have compiled some of my knowledge and secrets instead during my commute to work.

1. I am too poor to eat clean.

At times where I can't stop swiping my credit card for retail therapy and have to discipline myself to pay it off, I eat like a peasant. I found DOLLAR stores (mostly Dollar Tree, but go explore in your local area) carry frozen vegetables! A WHOLE VARIETY of carrots, green beans, corn, etc. I was skeptical at first for additives and preservatives, but looking at ingredient lists, there are NONE. BOOM. Mind blown yet? Mine was! 

I also grocery shop like a European, meaning I get what I need for the week so I spend little over a longer amount of time and my produce is always fresh. 

2. How do you shop frugally at those fancy organic stores?

Since I do shop often, I always compare prices in my head, mainly Trader Joes vs Whole Foods.

Prepackaged snacks and food

Frozen vegetables and fruit 

Almond butter @ $5.99 a pound/16 oz

Carton of Almond/coconut milk (has additives though, such as carrageenan) @ $1.99

Can of light coconut milk @ 0.79

Can of thick coconut cream @ 0.99

Prepackaged triple washed organic spinach $1.99

Bag of apples $2.99

Bananas 0.19 each

Coconut oil @ $5.99/12 oz? (if you do not have access to a costco! Oil is ~$13 for 32 oz - sounds gross to have that much but I use it ALL the time)

BULK AISLE = my candy store!

Especially when baking, you can get exact amounts you need instead of grabbing loads of ingredients you only need once. Also if you can't make fresh peanut, almond, cashew butters at home, there are nut butter makers ($6.99/lb, just a dollar more than TJ)!

Jumbo bag of triple washed kale (I use this for smoothies) @ $2.99

Bunches of greens come in larger amounts!

Organic fruit and veggies are randomly on sale

Prepackaged ANYTHING is overpriced here; believe me, I've given WF several chances and they failed me every time.

*There are online coupons that can be printed out if you do need something prepackaged from there so at least you can save some $

3. I'm always hungry on this diet I'm on. I can't do this healthy stuff. 

You are not eating ENOUGH. I've been on crazy diets since high school when I started working out with my friends and was never happy with my body nor with what I ate so I never lasted past a month with restrictions. You'll hear many health and fitness obsessed people say that it's a lifestyle change, which is not just a quote. I think you have to enjoy what you eat and enjoy how it makes you feel afterwards to find your perfect eating plan. I do not mean an ice cream cone every day so you feel happy for that moment. I mean if you feel awake and alert for work, school, and even up until you workout later that night and you still feel fantastic. True story: When I did the 30 day paleo challenge, I leaned out but I felt exhausted and dizzy all the time from the extreme change in my diet. Everyone told me that I would get used to it after the first week. They were right, I felt great BUT my weight lifting was not up to par. I couldn't lift as much as I was used to, which brought my self esteem down because I love being strong! My friend that also crossfits suggested I try paleo blocks. Blocks are calculated by different factors, such as BMI and activity level. One gets an allotted  amount of blocks of food to consume at each meal, which helped guide me in how much I really should be eating (basically 2-3x the amount I was eating!). Changed my life. I feel awesome. I still cheat sometimes though (ie: this week). I get back on track afterwards :).

3. You're so lucky that you have time to cook.

UM no. I don't even have time to talk to my family every single day. It's quite frustrating when people think I have so much time on my hands since I do cook. I work, crossfit, try to fit in dinner, shower, prep for the next day, and sleep later than I would like. All in the block of 6 am - 12 midnight. So what do I do? I break up my prep time into days so I don't have to give up an entire day,  cook when I can, and USE A TIMER. I shop on Fridays or Saturdays. Most of my cooking happens in 3 hours of a Saturday or Sunday, which is when I make lunch (then stick them into the freezer) and snacks. I love breakfast and I prefer it fresh, so I make food in the morning with a timer so I don't burn anything AND I get ready for work simultaneously.

I hope that helped! That's all I got in my brain for now. Comment if you have any other questions for me! Hold tight for future posts! I just have to get my desktop set up :).

I apologize for the unclear picture of the recipe. I tried to be creative and write on the Tupperware I used! 

Steps:

1. Cook all the nuts on medium heat with coconut oil and add agave until the oils and agave are evenly distributed. 

Transfer to a mixing bowl.

2. Shred dried mango and figs in a food processor and mix into bowl with the remaining ingredients while cooked nuts are still hot. Transfer into a airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to a month.

My only suggestion is to double the amounts in this recipe if you eat cereal every day like me. I ran out after 2 weeks :(.

1/4 cup almond meal

Crumbs are not as chunky and dry as regular crumb cake crumbs. Still yummy though.. fine and grainy :).

2. Fry each side for 2-3 minutes (I timed it with my oven timer while I did some cleaning). It WILL be thin, delicate, and brown. Top with almond butter, honey, and chia seeds. Dig in.