The increase in the amount of protein, vegetables, and fat you need to make the transition to paleo can be shocking. I was amazed at the sheer volume of veggies and meat we needed once we jettisoned cheese, tortillas, toast, pasta, and rice. You know how you used to find wilted, moldy vegetables in the back of your crisper drawer? Those days are over; you are now a veggie-eating machine.
Buy accordingly.
Cooking WOD
In CrossFit, the workout of the day (WOD) is always timed. The idea is that you do the movements as quickly and efficiently as possible, without sacrificing form and technique. It’s very motivating and on many occasions, the clock inspires me to do things I don’t think I can do.
One day, feeling unenthusiastic about the assembly line of meat and vegetable prep on my schedule, I decided to treat my Sunday Cookup like a WOD. Could I do all my food prep in one hour?
I set a stopwatch for 60:00 and got busy rattling some pots and pans. I bounced back and forth among the oven, the stove – where I had two pans going at once – and the gas grill outside the kitchen door. My iPod cranked out appropriate cooking tunes. (For me, that’s Social Distortion, The Clash, and Duran Duran , with a little Barry Manilow thrown into the mix.) I set a second timer to beep at five-minute intervals so I wouldn’t burn anything.
My time: 61:00 / Cleanup time: 5:00
Think you don’t have time to prepare food so you can eat clean all week? I call bull on that! One hour of chopping, steaming, stewing, mixing, and grilling netted me enough raw materials to build meals for at least five days. Granted, it wasn’t one of those fun and leisurely cooking experiences, but every workout at the gym isn’t an endorphin-laced funfest, either. Sometimes, for your own good, you’ve just got to get it done.
