Fast Food Redefined

So, I faced a tough decision today. It was about 3:30p.m. and I was working on some projects around the house- when I walked into my room. I saw my bed, heard the monsoon occurring outside and thought to myself 'to nap or not to nap'. All the stars were aligned for me to get a perfect power nap in; cold, rainy, quiet house, but I said no- not today, bed. Brittney- 1 bed-0. Instead, I canoed my way to the gym for some power cleans, overhead squats, and even got in a 5-pound snatch PR (120, yay!) With my schedule, even getting to contemplate taking a nap is something that only happens during breaks. School starts back on Monday as does my regular routine; consisting of coaching Crossfit for adults and kids, working for a radio station and taking 15 hours of classes that includes 3 labs. So, I know better than anyone how hard it is to keep a solid Paleo diet on the go. Obviously, it's not ideal to go to any "fast food" crap hole, but it's not realistic to think that you can make a perfect Paleo meal at home every time you need to eat. Here are a few ideas:

Gas Station- apple or banana, beef jerky, nuts or trail mix (without m&m's, obvi)
Subway- Any type of salad, of course. Also, I went for breakfast yesterday on my way to work, and used the egg omelet as the "bread", folded it up like a tortilla, then filled it with ham, bacon and veggies. They will look at you like you're crazy, but just tell them it's called the caveman special.
Chipotle- Steak or Chicken (or both if you're like me) salad bowl, fill it with lettuce, veggies, salsa, guacamole. Anything you like, except for rice, beans and cheeses.
Chickfila- Southwest Chicken Salad, lay off the beans and corns if you can.
Wendy's- Apple Chicken Pecan Salad, without the dressing.
Which Wich or any other sandwich place- any meat they have on top of salad, veggies, nuts, and whatever /avocado guacamole you can get your hands on.
On the Border or any other Mexican restaurant- fajitas, veggies, side salad, salsa, guacamole.
Genghis Grill- pile up the meat and veggies and a little fruit and only use the sauces that are sugar-free/gluten-free/soy-free... there's probably only like two options at that point, I just can't think of the names right now.

(My 5-minute breakfast; 2 scrambled eggs, 3 mushrooms, 1/2 bell pepper, salsa)

As far as Italian/Chinese food goes, there's not much hope there. The main thing to remember is to load down your plate with some kind of meat, vegetables, good source of clean fat and skip everything else including any variation of bread or cheese product. If an employee says they can't do that, tell them you have a gluten allergy and a lactose allergy and you will get pregnant and die if you ingest anything along those lines. I try to skip these places as much as possible; I do my best to wake up early, cook breakfast at home, pack my lunch, and eat dinner at home. But, I know sometimes you just don't have that option. Also, always, always, always bring an emergency snack in your bag/purse (baby carrots, beef jerky, nuts, apple etc) so you aren't left hungry and only bad options to choose from.

Bonus- Crossfit Bloopers... Me looking homeless and failing 125# snatch. Good times.

Dinner tonight seriously tastes like it came straight from Olive Garden. Sadly, no OG breadsticks. I think those were invented by Russian scientists to sabotage America's waistlines. Also, before anybody gets their panties in a wad, I realize that red wine is not completely Paleo. A little used for cooking, not drinking, is not the end of the world. Don't call the Paleo Police.

Chicken "Marsala-ish" in Red Wine Sauce

4 boneless, (preferably organic) chicken thighs

2 or 3 cups sliced mushrooms

1 or 2 sliced bell peppers

2 Roma tomatoes

1 or 1 1/2 sliced onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup red wine

Sea salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Basil, Parsley

1. Once chicken has thawed, spice it up to taste.

2. Preheat the oven to 400, and cook the thighs about 7-8 minutes on each side. They should turn out to be a pretty brown color on top.

3. In a medium-large skillet, place all washed and sliced veggies over medium heat then add spices, olive oil and red wine.

4. Cook veggies until soft and pull chicken out of oven. Then, cut the chicken into strips, diced, shredded, whole, or however you like it and combine it all.

Prep time of about 10 minutes, cook time of about 15.. Doesn't get easier than that! Play around with different spices, herbs, meats, veggies.. Paleo cooking does not have to be the same meal every day, nor does it have to be boring and your body will love you for it!