Hey folks, it’s Coach Laura! If I haven’t had a chance to meet you yet, I’m the newest addition to the No Excuses coaching team!  We are hoping to bring some new content to the blog a few times a week for your reading pleasure!  So without further ado… our first installment. Enjoy!

Does your week ever start off with the best of intentions for eating right, and then an unexpected event causes you to make a less than ideal food choice because there just isn’t anything else to eat? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there!  The fact of the matter is that sometimes paleo food just isn’t available at the office or on the road. But just because paleo options are sometimes few and far between, it doesn’t mean that you just give up trying to eat right. Here are some tips for heading out into the SAD (Standard American Diet) World with paleo armor:

• Pick a cooking day:  Find a day in your schedule (a lot of people like Sundays) to head to the store and then cook some staples for the week. You don’t have to cook all of your meals on that particular day, but cooking a bunch of chicken breasts, boiling a dozen eggs or preparing ingredients (chopping veggies, marinating meats etc) will help you stay on top of your cooking and guarantee that you will at least have protein at hand. Break out the crockpot and have a one pot meal going while you cook on the stovetop as well! Multi-task!
• Invest in good quality food storage containers: Now that you have cooked all this food, what do you do with it? Well, pack it away into containers of course! This way, you can grab and go. I love glass containers because they are easy to clean and don’t get stained or keep the smell from strong flavors. If you are sticking with this paleo thing, then cooking and storing food is going to be part of your life. It is worth the extra money to buy good quality containers that will last.
• Pack a cooler:  Alright, now you’ve got all your meals and snacks in containers. Next thing is to take it with you! That way, you aren’t in a bind when the sandwiches come out at the office or when you get stuck in traffic. Find an awesome lunch box, some cold packs and plastic utensils and you’re set. I know, it may seem dorky to be that person that carries their food with them, but remember, you are doing this for your health, not to be cool (except, being healthy IS cool…so really, it’s a win-win!).

What tips do you have for making paleo work in your busy week?  We’d love to hear!