Resisting Holiday Temptation

Christmas gatherings, Hannukah dinners, and sweet gifts are all great and delicious, but when is too much too much? I admit that I have a sweet tooth, and have a hard time saying no when faced with a dessert. Especially when a loved one has gone through the trouble of making it from scratch! But since giving up sweets a couple years ago, I can honestly say that I now show some restraint when I am faced with temptation.

When I went paleo a few things happened.
(1)I lost a bunch of weight and inflammation.
(2) I became much happier and less stressed.
(3)I developed a mechanism that helps me face sugar cravings. When I slip up and have a piece of cake or a big cookie, my body really reacts. The whole next day I feel slightly hungover and sluggish. Now, this sounds bad, but it is actually a good thing. It makes me think long and hard about the decisions I make.

And sometimes it's totally worth it. For example, once a month I get together with about a dozen other girl friends in the city for Cooking Club. We all bring a dish and share the recipes. I love tasting everyone's recipes, and am willing to suffer the fatigue the next day.

Life is short. I do not eat 100% paleo all the time. But when I do I feel energetic and ready to conquer the world!

Have a happy healthy holiday!

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A Paleo Proposal

Chris proposed on Saturday!

It was a beautiful clear San Francisco day on Saturday. Not even a touch of fog. So we decided to go for a hike. We headed to our favorite spot at at Golden Gate Rec, overlooking the GGB. I had no idea what was coming up...

Packed a picnic like usual (my mouth is full!)...

And when I turned around he was on one knee...

With a ring

We couldn't be happier to start our 'married lives' together. The past 3 years have been amazing, and this is just the beginning!

Maple Apricot Cookies

For Sale online through December 20!

Here is an original recipe that Chris (the fiance) and I made up when we ran a lunch catering business a couple years ago. If you are going to enjoy a cookie this holiday season, these are the way to go. No, they aren't paleo. But they are much much better than anything else you will find at your holiday party table.

Ingredients (makes 10 regular or 20 mini cookies)

• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 stick - or 1/4 cup- of butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 carrot, grated
• handful dried apricots, chopped
  
• 2 c. granola

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
   
2. Cream sugar and butter (ok to use electric mixer for all the below steps)
   
3. Add egg, set aside
4. Mix flour, soda, cinnamon
5. Add flour mixture to wet mixture
6. stir in remaining ingredients
7. Bake 8-10 minutes
   

Promo Code: SWEET

Happy December!

The Holidays in SF

I moved to San Francisco (Nob Hill/Russian hill border) in August and am absolutely loving city life! The gym is a half mile away, there is a natural foods grocery store 4 blocks away, and several restaurants on every street. I get to walk everywhere (yes, especially to my car since we usually have to park a few blocks away!) and those hills are really a great way to get a quick workout done in the middle of the day.

Most days I am cooped up inside the apartment on my computer all day, so it's great to head out in the evenings to meet friends for happy hour or dinner, just a short walk or Muni ride away. Getting all bundled up to brave the crisp city air and seeing the Christmas lights in the Bay windows really makes it feel so festive!


Another great thing about the city is the food! You can find basically ANY kind of food you can imagine right around the corner. Saturday night Chris and I were feeling cold, hungry, and tired from a long walk downtown and window shopping. So we decided to get Indian food delivered from a place down the street called Darbar. Best decision ever! The chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Saag were SO good, and they arrived at our door exactly 18 minutes after I hung up the phone with them. Couldn't get any better than that!

Happy December!

Promo Code: SWEET