So Valentine’s Day at the Ratcliff house was not full of romance and Hallmark cards….somewhere along the way Chris convinced me that the day was a made-up holiday over commercialized by Hallmark. This is not to say we don’t still recognize the day and give the greeting card industry their $3.99, we just don’t go out or buy overpriced flowers and strawberries. This year was fun though, Lila had a party at school and we made cookies, home-made valentines cards and gift bags for her friends. We dressed in pink and red and said I love you a million times 🙂 Chris and I are content to celebrate us and our little family in a million ways the rest of the 364 days of the year when everything is about 20% cheaper and a bit less crowded 🙂
Valentine’s Day marked another big day in our house this year…we officially marked one year of Paleo/Cleaner eating! It’s been quite a year and although there were quite a few challenging times and maybe even some pizza and cake, we seriously wouldn’t change a thing and will probably continue on eating like this for the forseeable future. Over the last year we have dropped some serious lbs (Chris especially) but more than that, we feel so much better and know we are healthier. We truly believe what you put in your body (and how much of it) has a direct impact on your whole body and mind.
When we first started we were SUPER strict and downsized our portions by at least half. We didn’t use condiments, cut out all alcohol sugar and didn’t cheat or eat out for at least the first two months. This time was probably the hardest, but I think in the end it was the most beneficial because it really re-started our taste buds and crushed any habit cravings. After about 2 months, I slowly stopped weighing out and measuring everything on my plate. I knew the amount I was eating and the weight I was at wasnt maintainable long-term and really wanted to see where I naturally landed while sticking to the Paleo principles. I still weigh my protein because I realize my portions were way out of line and its harder for me to gauge. I followed the basic rule of 2/3 of my plate being veggies/fruit and 1/3 protein. I also realized life was too short and added back cream in my coffee, dark chocolate, a bit of wine and feta/goat cheese. Life just really isn’t complete without these things 🙂 Chris also got a bit more flexible although he misses different things and is much better at staying on Paleo than I am at times! He has to have a scotch/bourbon, Chick-Fila and dark chocolate. I seriously am still impressed my beer lovin husband hasn’t had more than 5 beers in the past year!
Today we are much more flexible and sometimes have to fall off the Paleo bandwagon completely before getting back on. The interesting thing is that we always get back on. We seriously have no desire to regularly eat rice, pasta, bread, beans, etc. That isn’t to say we don’t still love a good pizza night or a good piece of pie (if you havent been to the Pie Emporium in Bishop…GO NOW!) but we make sure that when we eat non-Paleo foods they are made from the freshest and best ingredients and worthy of the “cheat”. Paleo has also opened up a whole new world of food and has forced me be more inventive to figure out how to get the “crunch” or “creaminess” I am craving. For example I LOVED toast pre paleo but really couldn’t find a paleo bread that made me say “mmmm”. After lots of experimenting and digging on blogs, I finally found an english muffin recipe that we eat at least once a week that allows us to have bacon,egg, cheese sandwiches & delicious nut butter & jelly toast! We have also found that cauliflower (which made it into our house about 3 times before Paleo) is a regular item on our shopping list…you can rice it, mash it, make pizza crust out of it…its the veggie with a million uses 🙂
So anyways, to sum it up, on our Paleo Anniversary, I’m thankful we made the change and think we are both healthier for it. Although some may scoff at it, it works for us right now and Im sure as we grow and our lives changes so will our eating habits 🙂 Hope everyone is enjoying this BEAUTIFUL February day….it doesnt get much better than this!
Much Love – Christy
the ratcliff family 