One of the first paleo blogs we discovered was paleOMG. Juli is just hilarious and comes up with some really creative and delicious paleo friendly meals. We have always wondered many things about Juli and we were lucky enough to chat to her and gain an insight into the paleOMG world!
So here goes….
e & c: how did you discover paleo?
juli: I had an ex boyfriend who did CrossFit as well as ate Zone. Once I started CrossFit, I noticed how much it was recommended, so I thought I’d give it a try. Took me a good 3-4 months before I was completely paleo. I had to ween myself off of it. (PS- I actually learned about CrossFit about 4-5 years before when my dad did the diet, then I also had Loren Cordain as a professor in College)
e & c: what made you start eating paleo and creating paleOMG?
juli: the more I did CrossFit, the more the diet was recommended. So I thought I would give it a try. The more I ate paleo, the more I felt better, and the more I shared those experiences with others. I began writing the nutrition blog for a gym I worked out at, then finally created my own to share my own recipes on.
e & c: what are the best and worst things about paleo?
juli: best: you feel 100% better once you start eating paleo. Worst: a lot of people are judgmental about it.
e & c: are you addicted to nuts too? (eek!)
juli: I TOTALLY used to be, so I cut them out cold turkey. Now I totally stay away from them because they mess with my stomach, make me chunky, and give me even MORE acne.
e & c: what benefits have you experienced from living a paleo lifestyle?
juli: let’s see, more energy, better sleep, thinner, no stomach issues, great bathroom breaks, once again no stomach issues. I just overall feel way better.
e & c: are your family and friends paleo? What do they think about paleo?
juli: family, no. My dad tried it, but he isn’t anymore. Friends, some. My best friend went paleo a year ago and hasn’t gone back ever since because she felt so much better. I’ve also had my boyfriend and other friends try paleo and stick to it pretty easily. A lot of my friends are CrossFitters, so paleo friends are pretty easy to come by in this community.
e & c: what are your favourite recipes? Top 5!
juli: top 5? Omg. Top 5 of all time is tough to even think about. I’ll give you my top 5 as of late. But these are in no particular order. 1. artichoke lemon pesto chicken pasta 2. pineapple stuffed chorizo burgers 3. maple mustard short rib burgers 4. breakfast bacon and maple meatballs 5. sausage spaghetti squash bake.
e & c: what’s your favourite paleo treat?
juli: my caramel cheesecake bars. so stupid good.
e & c: what’s your favourite non-paleo treat?
juli: blizzards. the pumpkin pie blizzard is the best thing ever. EVER.
e & c: what does your exercise regime involve?
juli: CrossFit and running. I CrossFit 5-6 times a week and try to run 3 days a week (weather permitting. not a fan of running in the snow).
e & c: what’s your favourite exercise?
juli: power cleans
e & c: when you are not cooking/working out what do you do?
juli: eat more food at restaurants. Drink alcoholic beverages. Dancing. I’m not a stripper, I just don’t have the moves for that, but going to a club and dancing is probably the most fun thing in the world. Truth.
e & c: what inspires and motivates you?
juli: always trying to get better at something. My blog is very helpful in the aspect that I’m always trying to make others happy. Through stories, through recipes. I just want to inspire others to try food that will make them feel better.
e & c: what’s the most exciting thing you have ever done?
juli: exciting? Hmmmm. That’s hard. I would say CrossFit Regional in 2012. That was one of the most exciting weekends of my life.
e & c: who’s the coolest person you have met through paleOMG?
juli: i’ve honestly met a ton of awesome people. What’s super cool is meeting some of the people who read my blog by them coming into my gym to workout. Always awesome to see. But I’ve also met a ton of amazing bloggers through my own blog. It’s really cool to get to know those bloggers and see what stuff they have gone through, which is often a similar story to your own.
e & c: what’s your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?
juli: honestly, leftovers because there is no thought process to leftovers. But recently I’ve been eating a lot of breakfast sausage, brussel sprouts, and eggs for breakfast and i LOVE it.
e & c: do you say PaleOh My Gawd…or Paleoh em gee…?
juli: I say it pale oh m gee. But people can say it however they’d like. Lots of people are offended by the oh my god reference so I let people decide how they want to say it.
Well there you have it – we have been saying it wrong all along!
If you haven’t checked out paleOMG yet…you should…right now!
To celebrate all things paleOMG, we made juli’s very easy and very delicious paleo peanut butter icecream! For the recipe, click here! We even put left overs on our paleo sweet potato pancakes…stupid good (juli would say!)
Always merrymaking,
e & c