Paleo Vacation Eating Part II

I apologize for the delay, but we have been busy vacationing. The internet access has been spotty and honestly attempting to find the time and ability to blog was lower on the priority list. My bad!

However, I continued to attempt my 80/20 eating mentality. It went alright. Honestly, I think it may have been a bit more 75/25. It takes a good deal of pre-planning and restaurant avoiding to eat 100% Paleo on vacation and I was not willing to do that. Here are things I WAS willing to do:

1) Scour the menu for the best "Paleo" option while still fully enjoying myself and the wonderful company.

At the Trellis, a fine dining restaurant in Williamsburg, I felt like I was able to do a fairly good job. 

After a contemplation, I decided to select the free-range roasted chicken with a cauliflower puree (YAY!), lavendar-infused carrots, and a soy-sauce demi-glaze garnish (I did my best to avoid this).

This was a delicious meal! I attempted to avoid the skin, as I was not completely sure of the ingredient list of of the marinade. My husband worked at this restaurant in undergraduate, so he was rather familiar with their kitchen help. It was wonderful to have the "inside scoop!"

Honestly, I did my best "Paleo" eating at dinner each night and breakfast each morning. I tried to have each dinner contain solid protein, fat, and veggies. Each morning I cooked some eggs and a banana with almond butter or an apple with almond butter. I also went on several runs and did a LOT of walking.

2) One other tactic that helped was to THINK LOCAL: We hit up the local farmer's market. This was a GREAT decision.

I picked up a bushel of the most amazing looking tomatoes--green, yellow, purple, red, orange--It was a rainbow! They served as lovely and refreshing snacks.  I eat these babies like grapes or apples!

With that being said, I did poorly pre-planning lunch. I always carry almonds, and often I was stuck with nothing else. I ate FAR too many almonds this weekend. And I also had another one of these:

Frozen yogurt is a weakness from my pre-Paleo days. I also may have had several pieces of double dark chocolate fudge--SUCH an indulgence, but worth every tiny bit.

I know my eating was FAR from perfect, but Paleo is not about perfection--or my version certainly is not! While, I wish I would have done a bit better, but you live and you learn.

3) I think one of my best and most successful traveling tips of this trip was to drink plenty of water. I definitely did well at this goal! I remained well-hydrated throughout the vacation and I think it definitely helped re-establish equilibrium despite several of my less-than-stellar food choices.

One of the most exciting aspects of this vacation was my eagerness to return home and resume my normal Paleo eats. After several days of 80/20 eating, I am even more convinced than ever that eating a more strict Paleo diet is the right choice for met. I missed my PaleoRunnerGirl routine and am more than happy to return to this way of life. I don't know if it gets much better than that! :)

How do you normally feel after vacation? Are you eager to get back to normal or are your slow to adjust?