Today was a great day! The girl that worked after me brought me two cook books she doesnt use anymore! I can't wait to look through them and find ways to add my own paleo spin on them! :)
For my 30 days, 100 miles challenge today, I was able to run 4.83 miles in 39:30, which is an average of 8:11min avg/mile! I could not be more proud of myself. I am fortunate to work near the beach so part of my run was with a gorgeous view of the beach.
After my workout, I made sure to take my flaxseed supplements.
In my moms vitamins basket I found glucosamine and calcium supplements and I am thinking with all of this running I should start adding these to my diet, so I am going to purchase them soon.
Paleo Meal Plan, Today, Monday June 18
Meal 1:
Raspberry, Kale, Coconut Milk Smoothie topped with seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia, flax, & hemp)
Meal 2:
1 cup paleo granola (posted recipe on previous post in MAY), added hemp seeds & coconut threads
+ 1/2 cup fruit (strawberries & kiwi)
+ 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Meal 3:
Arugula Salad with 1/2 grilled turkey breast (seasoned with coconut oil, basil, oregano, garlic and pepper), 1/2 apple chopped, 10 grapes halved, red onion, celery, walnuts and 1/2 lemon juiced for dressing
Post Workout Shake:
Strawberry-Spinach-Flax Shake:
(*Make sure to have a good source of protein, carbs, and fats within 30 minutes after workout!*)
1 cup strawberry
1.5 cup baby spinach
2 TBSP whole raw flax seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1-2 cup water
Blend all together!
2 TBSP whole raw flax seeds
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1-2 cup water
Blend all together!
Post Workout Snack:
1 banana sliced, 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter (emuslified, and mixed with 1/2 scoop chocolate WHEY protein powder) topped with seeds (chia, hemp, sunflower, and pumpkin)
Meal 4:
Shrimp & Zucchini sautee (onion, garlic & coconut oil) + ½ sweet potato mashed + ½ avocado
(I got this idea from @kimmy2too on instagram!)
Shrimp & Zucchini Sautee:
Chop 1 large zucchini, 1/2 onion and 1-2 garlic cloves. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil into a large skillet, add your onion and garlic; let these sweat in the pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, then add 1 lb of shrimp and seasonings (I used lemon pepper, red pepper flakes, and italian seasonings; Salt-Free Mrs. Dash was the recommended seasonings but I don't have it) Let the shrimp cook for roughly 5 minutes on low heat then add your zucchini slices; cook shrimp and zucchini together until the shrimp is a nice pink color then it is fully cooked. (see next picture!) This made me about 3 servings (one of which I will bring to work tomorrow night)
Serve with 1/2 avocado sliced (good source of healthy fats) and 1/2 roasted sweet potato (recipe on previous post)!
Sweet Potato vs. Yams:
At work today I was interested in the difference between sweet potato and yams so I went online and researched it!
So I found that there are different varieties (colors) of sweet potatoes, the popular ones are the white flesh and orange flesh. The orange flesh sweet potatoes are commonly called yams in US markets, and the white flesh are called sweet potatoes (this is to avoid confusion with the different varieties). Yams are starchy tubers with a bark like skin in many varieties and are harder to find and are mostly available in specialty markets. Both are low in calories, very low in fat, good sources of energy, and good sources of vitamin C and B6.
Per 8 oz of sweet potato, it contains 45g carbohydrates (7g fiber) while yams contain 40g carbohydrates (5g fiber) and 5g protein in sweet potato, 2g for yams. The protein in sweet potatoes and yams are not a complete protein so do not rely on these as your main protein source. Sweet potatoes are good sources of beta carotene and potassium as well. Potassium is good to assist in the maintenance of fluid and electrolyte balance in cells. These all make sweet potatoes (and even yams) a very good part of your post workout meal!
One of the BIG differences between the two is sweet potatoes are an extremely high source of vitamin A while yams are a low source of vitamin A. Per 8oz of sweet potato, it contains 270% of vitamin A while yams only offer 1%; vitamin A is important for healthy skin and soft tissues. Vitamin A plays many important roles in the human body including your immune system, eye sight, skin and bones and teeth.
Chances are if you are buying yams at a normal market with the orange flesh you are actually buying sweet potatoes! I was at sprouts and thought I was buying yams (orange flesh) but most likely it was sweet potatoes, which after researching is probably for the best :)
