Lizbeth's 3-Month Success

This is my favorite part. I get to see the dramatic changes my client has made after just 3 months of consistent hard work.

Lizbeth has a 6 month-old baby, works full-time, and still manages to drive an hour to train with me three days a week. She has been doing an amazing job of staying Paleo this entire time with the support of her husband, who I'm told has also experienced positive changes in his health and fitness now that his wife is on board with CrossFit and Paleo.

Her initial goal after having her son, was to regain her energy and vitality while losing weight. This is a great way to prioritize goals- putting health first and letting appearance follow. She lost 11 lbs and drastically changed her body composition! When she first started she complained about having "no upper body strength", and now she's doing pull-ups and push-ups with ease! She now says she has energy to keep up with her busy lifestyle and that she didn't know how good she could feel.

This is 3 months of personal training (3 x's/week Package) and nutrition consultations (Paleo Coaching Package). Check out the results for yourself!

 

Are YOU ready to change your life? Contact me today to set up a phone consultation to discuss how I can help YOU reach your health and fitness goals.

~Christine Ybarra, CHNC

Paleo Baked Apples

Ingredients

2 Apples, cut into slices 
2 Tbsp almond meal
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp melted raw/local honey
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Cinnamon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Place apple slices in glass baking dish.  3. Sprinkle almond meal and walnuts over apple slices.  4. Melt honey and coconut oil together. *I put both into glass measuring cup and microwaved for about 15 seconds.  5. Add vanilla to mixture and stir.  6. Pour mixture over apple slices.  7. Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon over the apples. 8. Mix well. 9. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until apples are tender.  10. Let cool and serve. *For a special treat serve with a scoop of vanilla coconut ice cream (Larry and Luna's is my all-time favorite)!

Bacon & Veggie Frittata and a Funny Story

So a funny thing happened to me yesterday as I was checking out of my favorite little grocery store. A woman walks in and starts talking to my cashier about a return she has in her hand, asking if she needed to leave it at the front while she finished her shopping. The item was a big bag of gluten-free all-purpose flour by Bob's Red Mill. I had to chuckle a little when she held it up with a frustrated face and said, "It's NOT Paleo..." She obviously bought it by mistake, after making the decision to go Paleo. The majority of the ingredients are on the "Paleo No-No List": Garbanzo Bean Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, White Sorghum Flour, and Fava Bean Flour. Beans, Potatoes, and Sorghum are technically NOT Paleo, however Tapioca Flour/Starch comes from the cassava root. While being the least preferred flour on the Paleo list, because of it's high carbohydrate content, Tapioca is used in some Paleo cooking by itself.

As a lot of you already know, a "Gluten-Free Diet" is much different than a "Paleo Diet". Gluten is a protein that comes mainly from wheat (and also other grains, but we'll get into that on a different day), so being gluten-free basically means being wheat-free (or better yet, grain-free). The problem is that this gluten is extracted from wheat and is added or injected into other foods and food products to increase protein value and also for texture purposes. You can still eat unhealthy foods while being completely gluten-free. Going Paleo encourages lots of vegetables and whole foods, while there are a TON of processed food products on the shelf that are considered gluten-free. A couple years back, before becoming a Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant, I actually worked in a small bake shop completely dedicated to offering gluten-free food to the community. The entire kitchen was gluten-free, and we sold products on the shelves that were gluten-free. However, I never felt completely 100% okay with recommending these gluten-free food products to people suffering from severe food allergies and/or Celiac Disease because I felt like the best advice would be to eat 100% Paleo. Most of our products were baked goods, and you may not know that to keep the product tasting good when wheat is removed, sugar is added in - LOTS of sugar, which is definitely not good for anyone. I always tell my clients that if you have a sensitivity to gluten, like most people do and probably don't even realize, it's best to only eat the processed gluten-free foods when you're occasionally cheating on your Paleo diet. So...Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour would be a better choice than going full-blown wheat flour, but there are so many other options for flours and baking that are Paleo approved and healthier choices. 

I personally have fallen in love with coconut flour and use it for most of my baking. I enjoy almond flour as well, but find it to be extremely nutrient dense- meaning it makes me feel really full for too long. After all, how many almonds should we eat in one sitting? It really shouldn't be more than a handful. I keep my portion size as small as possible when eating something made with almond meal/flour. I also recommend eating these flours as little as possible and trying to exclude them as much as you can, because we're better off without them anyway. Veggies and quality meat should be the main focus, tweaked to each individual's needs! So here's a recipe that doesn't require flour and is SUPER DELICIOUS and easy to make!

Bacon & Veggie Frittata

• 6 eggs, scrambled
• 2 slices of nitrate-free bacon, chopped
• about 1/8 cup red onion, finely diced
• about 3 cups of chopped veggies (in this one I used broccoli, zucchini, and yellow squash)

Preheat broiler to 450-500 degrees. 

Heat iron skillet to medium heat on stove top.

Add chopped bacon and cook for a few minutes until it doesn't look raw. 

Add red onion and cook for a minute or so. 

Add the rest of the veggies and sautée until tender, keeping the bright color of the veggies. 

Add the scrambled eggs and mix with the veggies with a fork. 

Cool for a minute or two and then place in the oven until eggs rise and are a light golden brown on top.

Remove from oven carefully, let cool, slice and serve!

Salad with Chicken and Lime Vinaigrette

Dinner was pretty good tonight: Salad with mixed greens, baked chicken, red onion, pear, raisins, sunflower seeds and lime vinaigrette (EVOO, lime juice, lime zest and apple cider vinegar). 
The best part is that it was quick and easy to make, so that I could get back to my little babe. He sure does keep me busy! Next time though, I'll just stick to my balsamic vinaigrette (EVOO & balsamic vinegar).

Testimonial from Ashley M.

“When I first decided to adopt the Paleo lifestyle, I read everything I could find online and even bought a few books to read but still had a ton of questions about what I should and shouldn't eat and why as everyone seemed to have their own opinion. I had just started CrossFit as well and heard about Christine through my gym and decided to sign up with her hoping to get some solid answers to my many questions.

I had my first face to face with Christine (on the day she was due to have her second baby - this woman is dedicated!) and we discussed my goals, past eating habits and my food journal for the previous 3 days. She provided great feedback on different foods I could incorporate, answered the first round of questions I had and left me with a great cookbook to read through and pull recipes from. We continued to meet for the following month, and in between our scheduled meetings, she was available to me anytime via text, email or phone when I had a question (which I had plenty of) or needed advice. She was always happy to send me new recipes she tried out or old favorites (which, by the way, were yummy!) and never seemed bothered when I contacted her. At the end of our month, we hit the grocery store where I gained even more knowledge and guidance on the ends and outs of the Paleo lifestyle.

I started my Paleo journey with tons of questions and uncertainty, and after working with Christine, I feel confident about the food choices I continue to make and am no longer overwhelmed at the meat counter!” – Ashley M.

Combine CrossFit Coaching with Paleo Coaching!

Did you know our very own CrossFit Cedar Park has its own Nutrition Coach?
That's right! ME!

CrossFit CP has amazing coaches that can get you in shape, fast! Combine that with proper nutrition and you'll see results immediately!

Call me today to find out what I can do for you!

Sign Up Now for Your FREE Consultation!

**MARCH MADNESS**

For the month of March, 2013, I will be running a special for first time clients!

Sign up for your first month's Paleo Coaching (any package of your choice), and receive your initial consultation FREE!!!

Are you struggling to stay focused on your nutrition goals? Have you wondered if there was a way to make things a little easier on you while you transition into your ultimate healthy lifestyle?

I can help you figure out ways to cut the cravings, sleep better, lose the extra weight, think more clearly, and more.

Initial Consultation Includes:

a.       Review and evaluation of current diet

b.      Intro to Paleo

c.       Suggestions to improve and modify to meet individual goals

d.      Step-by-step plan to improve current diet

We can also discuss your current workout routine and any changes we can make to help you reach your health and fitness goals.

For more detailed information on coaching packages, select the Services tab at the top of the page. Let's get started today!

Heidi's Story

This is my client, Heidi. She was completely new to Paleo and CrossFit training when we first met and got her started on a plan to success. During our very first consultation, Heidi mentioned wanting to lose about 50 lbs as an ultimate goal. During our first workout (3 rounds of 15 squats, push-ups, and sit-ups), we discovered that we needed to focus on increasing strength and endurance. We talked about CrossFit methodology and Paleo nutrition and she was ready to commit to both. She worked hard and aside from some irritating foot cramps, never complained! As her trainer, I always felt I didn't kick her butt hard enough, so I would increase the intensity of the workout each time. Before we knew it, she took her wall push-ups to the floor, her pull-up bar holds to actual pull-ups, and her walking to running!

After just 3 short months of CrossFit training and Paleo nutrition, she lost multiple inches all over her body. Her chest, waist, hips, and legs shrank dramatically! Heidi's weight loss is another perfect example of how even though she only lost 10 lbs on the scale during this time, her drastic appearance change proved to be the most evident. She gained muscle and lost fat!

I'm very proud of Heidi's transformation and the hard work and dedication she put into changing her life. Way to go Heidi!

Commit to your health and fitness just as Heidi did, and see the results for yourself! You'll immediately start to look and feel better and improve your performance. Contact me today to get started! 

Christine's Paleo Egg Cupcakes

These delicious, fantastic, little cupcakes are an absolute staple for successful Paleo eating! So many friends and family members ask me for this recipe just because of the pictures I post on Facebook. I also recommend these to all of my clients. I'm glad to finally have this up online so I can just start giving out a link instead of handwriting this big 'ol list of veggies every time it's requested.

This recipe is my own combination of some egg cupcake recipes I've seen online over the years.
I can't begin to explain how easy these cupcakes make our mornings. The convenience of having breakfast ready to go for an entire work week is worth the prep and cleanup for sure. They also make great snacks!

Get creative with these! You don't absolutely need all of these specific ingredients to make yummy egg cupcakes. Any combination of veggies will work! You can also add more or less of a certain veggie. Just throw in whatever you have!

Prep. time (min): 20-30
Cooking time (min): 25
Servings: 21-24

Appliances:
Food Processor
Cupcake Pan

Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt & Pepper
12 oz cooked pork sausage
1/2 cup pureed butternut squash (I usually buy the Organic canned version)
3 Mushrooms
1 large handful Spinach
2 Green onions
2 Garlic cloves
1/2 jar Roasted red & yellow bell peppers
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
1 Jalapeño

Preparation:
Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Cook sausage, preferably in iron skillet.
Places veggies (cut into chunks) in food processor and pulse.
Add sausage. Pulse.
Add eggs. Pulse.
Add coconut flour, baking soda, and spices. Pulse.
Scoop 1/3 cup mixture into greased (Coconut Spray Oil), unbleached cupcake liners.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Tips:
*Store cupcakes in air-tight storage container with paper towels under each layer of cupcakes. Change out the paper towels and wipe down any condensation whenever opening. This will help absorb the extra moisture and keep them fresh.

Planning Your Meals and 3 Recipes!

When doing strict Paleo, planning your meals becomes crucial to your success. Not only does it help you have food ready to cook or eat, but it also helps financially. The last thing you want to do, is waste food because you didn't plan right. As time goes on, and you get more familiar with your favorite recipes and Paleo cooking, you'll get better at the planning part.

My planning got better a few years ago when I bought Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo Cookbook. Her meal plan helped me to realize that the best way for me to plan my family's meals was to cook enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Making sure there are 4 good-sized servings in every meal I make (sometimes 5 if I think my son might eat what I'm making), has gotten easier and easier as time goes on.

Friday night, we decided to try a new taco salad recipe from The Food Lovers Kitchen. This specific recipe called for a homemade Buffalo Sauce to drizzle over the top. It was fantastic! Of course, I made enough salad and meat for lunch the next day. I just kept the meat separate from the salad so we could reheat the meat and toss it in last.

Each of the following recipes were tweaked a little to our liking.

Taco Salad

Ingredients
1 lb Grassfed Ground Beef
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Penzey's Chili 3000
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 whole Avocado, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, julienned
1/2 cup Cilantro
1/2 cup Red Onion, julienned
10 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
8 cup Spring Mix Salad Greens
1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce
1 Lemon, juice

Preparation
Brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat.
Once beef is no longer pink, top with seasonings and stir until meat is evenly coated in spices.
Remove seasoned meat from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Rinse, dry, and prepare all vegetables.
Plate 2 cups lettuce per serving, and top each plate with red bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, ground beef, avocado, cilantro, freshly squeezed lemon, and a drizzle of buffalo sauce.

Buffalo Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Yellow Onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil, Organic
1/2 tsp Sea salt
10 whole Fresno Chiles
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
3 cup Water

Preparation
Remove stems from chilies, and slice peppers.
Sauté onion, garlic, and peppers in 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil for 3 minutes on high.
Add 2 cups of water, and cook on high stirring occasionally for 10–15 minutes.
After 10–15 minutes, add an additional cup of water.
Turn heat to medium, and continue to cook until all the water has evaporated and the peppers are soft.
In a high-speed blender or food processor, blend the sautéed peppers, onion, and garlic.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and slowly add in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar.
Blend until smooth.
Serve.

The Buffalo Sauce made enough to store extra in a small jar in the fridge for a few days so I could figure out what to do with it. While we were eating the taco salads for dinner, my husband had the idea of trying to create a Paleo Buffalo Chicken Salad. He had Chili's salad in mind, specifically. It didn't take long to find a recipe online, thanks to the growing popularity of Paleo.

Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad by The Clothes Make the Girl

Ingredients
Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Buffalo Sauce
Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 large cucumber, sliced very thin and quartered
2 stalks celery, sliced very thin
1/2 medium onion, sliced into very thin moons
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
*I only used 1/4 of an onion and left out the cucumber.
Ranch Dressing
1/2 cup homemade mayo
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons dried chives
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
*This dressing recipe is doubled from what the originally called for. It worked perfectly this way for us.

Preparation
Chicken
Place the chicken and Buffalo Sauce in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Salad
Slice all the salad ingredients as thinly as possible. If you have a mandoline slicer, all the better. Toss everything in a very large bowl and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble.

Dressing
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork until blended. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

We were both pleasantly surprised how good this salad turned out. It was so simple, that we underestimated how it would turn out. My husband actually said he liked this salad better than the salad at Chili's! Score!

I was super proud of myself for using the rest of the Buffalo Sauce instead of letting it go bad in the fridge! Yay! The moral of the story is, save money and get creative in the kitchen!

Red Thai Curry with Chicken

This meal is amazing and very filling! My goal when cooking dinner is to make enough for dinner and lunches the next day for my husband and I. These are the perfect size portions for my hungry husband.

I originally got this recipe from Everyday Paleo, but tweaked it a little after a few tries to get our favorite curry consistency and flavor.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 broccoli crown, cut into florets
4 to 5 cans full fat coconut milk (preferably chilled)
1 jar Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
Big splash Thai Kitchen Fish Sauce

*If you like your curry on the spicier side, add red pepper flakes and a little cayenne, either while cooking or in your bowl.

Preparation:
Preferably, chill the coconut milk first. This helps separate the fat from the water to get a creamier sauce.
Slice veggies. Remove seeds and stems of peppers.
*Always prep veggies on cutting board before raw meat.
Defrost wrapped chicken under water.
Scoop coconut fat into hot iron skillet and bring to low boil for 3-5 minutes.
*Save the coconut water for smoothies later! Store in air tight container in the fridge.
Add jar of curry paste and a couple splashes of the fish sauce into coconut milk and mix well.
Cube chicken and add to coconut milk. Let cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add sliced veggies and simmer, covered until veggies are tender but still brightly colored.
Serve and enjoy!

My Story and a Pregnant Paleo Challenge

I have been living "Paleo" now for about 4 years, since I lost over 100 lbs and still didn't feel well. Before I learned of Paleo, I was suffering from severe constipation, trapped gas in my chest almost daily, acid reflux (since I was 16), and hypoglycemic symptoms. I was also diagnosed with Hypothyroidism at the age of 21. I saw a nurse practitioner who told me to "eat more ruffage", a family physician who diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and gave me a pill to help "only the colon" retain water (yeah, right), a surgeon who gave me a pointless MRI, a few chiropractors who each helped a little in their own way, and a colon hydrotherapist who referred me to an amazing herbalist. My herbalist taught me so much about my body, much more than all of the conventional doctors I saw put together! Then I started CrossFit. After losing all that weight, I needed to tone up and I craved the next challenge. It wasn't until the second or third day of my intro classes when I ate a bowl of corn bran cereal before my workout and asked why I was so shakey. I'll never forget the look I got from my coach. I think that's when he ran right over to his stack of handouts and gave me my first bit of information on Paleo. I fell in love with the idea and dove into learning all I could. Once I tried it, I was hooked. It wasn't until 2 years post-Paleo I discovered my Hypothyroidism was really Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, a debilitating autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid. Even more reason to continue my healthy lifestyle! I already knew how to eat to support my "disease"!

If there's one thing I've learned on my journey to health and fitness, it's to be realistic. Set realistic goals, be honest with myself (and others!), and just be real. With this has come a great self appreciation because I've been able to easily see my strengths and my weaknesses for what they are- opportunities to grow. I've learned to be proud of who I am.

During this journey to a lifelong Paleo lifestyle, I've never claimed to be 100% perfect. Perfect is just impossible. As a Holistic "Paleo" Nutrition Consultant and CrossFit trainer, I always tell my clients that if you can aim for 95% Paleo in today's fast food society, you're doing great. So as time goes on in my Paleo lifestyle, not-so-Paleo foods slowly creep their way back into my diet in the form of occasional treats/splurges and even everyday occurrences.

To this day, I swear mozzarella cheese (or probably just cheese in general) is addicting. If you've survived taking it out of your diet (and you can!), never look back or you'll be hooked again with one or two cheats. My biggest pet peeve on this subject is when people say, "Oh I can't live without cheese." Please... *eye roll* It's all about priorities.

Anyway, a good 95% can slowly dwindle to 85%, and then 75%, and then 65%. It's usually around this point where I realize it's time for a "Paleo Challenge". It's time to get back on the Paleo horse and get back to that ultimate 95%! This is where my husband and I are at now. On a side note, I consider myself very lucky to have a husband who's always right there beside me, supporting me in all I do, and dealing with being married to his own personal nutrition consultant.

Today is Day 2 of our 2-week, no cheating, challenge. Did I mention that this is my first Paleo challenge during a pregnancy? Yeah, it doesn't really change much, except for the fact that I'm basically having a Battle Royál with my hormones for control, on top of my usual carb withdrawals. I've been CrossFitting about 2 times per week and walking another 2-3 days out of the week. Meanwhile, I've managed to gain a little more weight than I would've liked to at this point, and I attribute that to my first trimester splurges of eating whatever the heck I wanted! At 21 weeks, I'm now weighing in at where I was when I got pregnant with my first son, so needless to say I look a million times better.

I've also recently discovered some new Sciatica pain, which is making exercise and even every day tasks challenging. I'm hoping that with better Paleo nutrition, regular adjustments, and stretching, I will get some relief.





Here are a few things from our menu!

Cauliflower Fried Rice from Nom Nom Paleo

Laura's Amazing Paleo Cookies from Everyday Paleo

Broccoli Slaw from Level 10 CrossFit <- data-blogger-escaped-br="" data-blogger-escaped-crossfit="" data-blogger-escaped-first="" data-blogger-escaped-my="" data-blogger-escaped-very="" data-blogger-escaped-woot="">

Red Thai Curry with Chicken from Everyday Paleo

Brussels Sprouts 'n Bacon from Everyday Paleo

and my very own Egg Cupcakes

Everything has been delicious! A great reminder that eating healthy (aka Paleo) is actually a pleasant and desirable experience!