It's a new year, and I'm going strong.

After reading Dr. Cordain's book, I'm relieved that he suggests that the paleo eater have one to three open meals a week. After all, if you have 20 meals a week, if at least 17 of them are paleo, it's okay to have a "somewhat" paleo meal every now and them. Now, granted, this doesn't mean that it's allright to eat a whole pizza or a Big Mac and fries on these "open meals". Perhaps a lean ground beef hamburger and a small bag of potato chips, or a few slices of pizza.

That being in mind, I decided to stay strong throughout the week until last night, when I enjoyed an avocado and turkey sandwich on a 7 grain bread with steamed veggies. Technically, it wasn't a paleo meal, but I did skip the french fries and the 7 grain bread satisfied my bread craving. I was very happy with the meal!

Friends and I went to a party in Brooklyn after dinner in Manhattan (I went to NYC if you haven't figured it out by now). Thankfully, I had brought an all natural apple carrot and orange juice blend (my favorite!) and some soda water to make my own sparkling juice drink, so I stayed completely away from the alcohol. The gracious hosts had provided 3 yummy cheeses, hummus, veggies and other goodies. I was grateful for cucumbers and carrots to munch on, and even treated myself to a few bits of cheese and some fudge. Overall, it was a nice night (food-wise). (It was a great night non-food wise!)

I managed to enjoy my "open" night without splurging. Although I consumed a mionr amount of non-paleo food and no alcohol, I still woke up this morning feeling sort of off. I believe my body was confused as to why I gave it cheese and bread --- it hasn't had those two things in several weeks now! It didn't take me long to get back on track - I had a fantastic salmon with shrimp sauce and steamed veggies for lunch. (Lots of steamed veggies - seeing a trend here?)

I think I will stick to one or two open meals a week on this paleo plan, and I will be flexible about when they are. Dr. Cordain only says that two open meals should not be in the same day - and the more spread out they are - the better. We'll see what the weekend brings - I've been craving some Chinese lately. Perhaps I'll get some steamed chicken and veggies and indulge in a bit of fried rice one of these days. It's exciting seeing that I can have tastes of my favorite foods every now and then. Makes this whole process much more tolerable.