It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle!

I’ve been trying to keep from talking too much about our diet and exercise routine on this blog. I don’t want to be that girl. The one that is always “Paleo this” and “Crossfit that.” You know, the Paleo Wedding Blogger. It’s a big part of our life, but it’s not like it’s completely informing our wedding related decisions.

Sure, we wanted to have a menu that we could actually eat and we didn’t want to give out sugary favors that we wouldn’t eat. And yeah, our changes in diet and activity have helped us become more in shape than ever. But it’s not like we’re forcing our guests to eat beef jerky and bacon grease. And even though it would be amazing, I won’t be tossing my bouquet in kettlebell form. 

That said, it’s driving me crazy when people say “Wow you’ve lost a lot of weight for the wedding!” or try to explain “Miss Rucksack doesn’t eat sugar because she’s getting married soon.” Ugh, no!

Image by Bye Calories

Depending on the offender, I’ll either smile and nod or I’ll get up on my pedestal and explain that actually we are making a lifestyle change based on what we’ve learned about our bodies and all this cool sciencey stuff. I don’t eat sugar because it’s bad for me. I don’t eat soy because it makes me break out in hives. I don’t eat gluten because the cramping it gives me is so not worth it. I lost weight because I was getting kind of chubby from sitting on my butt and eating cookies all day. Giving up cookies and starting to work out naturally meant extra weight lost. I’ve stuck with this “diet” for 8 months because it makes me feel really damn good.

Image via Quick Meme

Of course, the aesthetic benefits are there too. I lost twelve pounds within the first couple of months through Paleo and then started changing my body through Crossfit. I sort of had to stop looking at the scale because muscle weighs more than fat and all that stuff, but I know my weight yo-yoed a little in the beginning. But all sorts of other amazing things happened that the scale didn’t show. My butt got higher and tighter. I developed abs! It started with 2 and I’m now up to 5. Sometimes I just stand half naked in front of a mirror and flex my abs because it still just blows my mind. The circumference of my legs is so much smaller. I use so much less lotion now! I have biceps and really awesome triceps. I still like to rub them just to make sure they’re actually there and not a figment of my imagination. And you guys, I actually completed a 5 mile race over father’s day weekend.

Considering I was the girl that faked menstrual cramps every day of high school gym class, this is such an amazing accomplishment. My family still can’t believe I ran the whole thing. And I was shocked that I didn’t come in last!

Winning! / Photo by Capstone Photography

I plan on sticking with Paleo for the rest of my life. Now that we’ve been doing this for awhile and we know how different foods affect our bodies, we have a much better sense of the sorts of treats we can allow ourselves. (He’s fine with soy, I’m not. Occasional dairy hasn’t hurt me, but gluten is painful for both of us.) So I’d say we eat pure Paleo 99% of the time with the occasional treat of goat cheese on a salad or chocolate that’s not quite as dark as it should be. Oh - and alcohol. I do like to treat myself with a glass of wine or hard cider after a particularly long day. So really, I don’t think I’ve given up too much. And the fact that I get to walk down the aisle being the best version of me is such a reward.

Have you made any lifestyle changes recently?

Chow Down! The Rucksack Menu!

A couple of months ago our menu tasting with our caterer was rescheduled due to a conflict. It was a sad day and an anxious 3 weeks as we eagerly waited and crossed our fingers that the food would be as amazing as we hoped. (Spoiler alert - it was)

I found Forks & Fingers through Weddingwire, saw a menu on their website that I liked and then emailed with Stephanie a few times to get the price and feel where we wanted it. When we met with Mark & Stephanie the first time, we talked a little bit more and then sort of left it up to them. They're totally brilliant and came up with a menu that's beyond perfect and definitely matches with our casual beach chic wedding. 

Onto the tasting! It's nearing lunchtime here and looking at these pictures definitely has me salivating over my keyboard here.

First up, we tried one of our signature drinks: a vodka spiked watermelon lemonade. Mr. Rucksack really needed it after a long day at work. I don't usually love watermelon, but this was tasty. 

We arrived a little early with Momma Rucksack, so we waited and drank and chatted until the hor's devores came out. Stephanie even put on some Buble to set the mood.

The first thing we got to try was a watermelon spoon with jalapeno oil and cilantro. They were so refreshing. Again, this made me change my outlook on watermelon. If you peek in the background you'll see our gourmet pizzetas too. New Haven is known for its pizza, so this was really important to me. We tried two kinds: a classic mozz with basil and fire roasted tomatoes followed by a goat cheese and raspberry pizza.

The Rucksacks don't eat usually gluten, but we cheated a bit to taste a bite of each pizza. Obviously we had to try them for the sake of our guests, right? The raspberry pizza may be one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth.

Momma Rucksack is halfway through her first Whole30 on her way to joining the Paleo cult, but she was kind enough to join in the tasting too. Thanks for taking one for the team, Momma Rucksack! ;-)

When I asked for steamers, I had no idea what Mark and Stephanie had in store. When each serving of clams came out in their own individual pots, I just about peed myself from excitement. There are also some chicken fajitas on that little plate. They were good too, but OMG individual steamer pots!

 Trying the fajitas. We're not in pain, I promise.

Next up we tried the salad! Mr. Rucksack thought there was too much stuff on it, but he is crazy. I got to have a bite of goat cheese, strawberry, golden beet, pomegranate and balsamic with every piece of lettuce. That's my kind of salad!

We tried hard to pace ourselves so that we'd have room for the entrees, but we were still shocked to see the big feast we had ahead of us. Below is our buffet in action (minus the veggie kebobs which I didn't get a photo of.). You guys, we each got one of these plates so I didn't have to share with anyone! From left to right: asparagus risotto, grilled lobster tail, summer corn succotash, grilled steak kebobs, and some sort of amazing chicken with asparagus, kalamata olives and feta. It was incredible times a million.

This was the best "wedding food" I've ever had which is pretty perfect since our one big requirement was "no typical wedding food." Honestly, I would have been thrilled to order any one of those items at a restaurant. (I asked if I could come back every night for dinner, but apparently they have other events....boooo)

My mom agreed that it was incredible, but said she's planning on playing down the awesomeness when telling everyone else about the food. "That way, their minds will be blown!" She said. She's weird.

Did you choose a caterer that would give you non-traditional wedding food? How did your tasting go?

Our Peg People Cake Topper

One of the things I am most excited about is our cake buffet. Although I'm not a big fan of eating cake, I just love the idea of it. It's kind of like eggnog in December. Every year I get wildly excited when I see eggnog invade the grocery store shelves and every year I finish about half a cup before declaring "Over it!" and moving on to another holiday novelty.

Still, cakes are just so pretty and a cake buffet is my dream. It's both beautiful and - since we have friends varying across a spectrum of dietary requests (paleo, vegan, chocolate, no chocolate) - it's practical too.

A beautiful assortment of sweets via Sweet Bloom Cakes

So many options via The Sweetest Occassion / Photo by Emilie Inc

I knew I wanted each cake to have a topper to make them special and originally thought about collecting an assortment of vintage toppers. In the end, I decided that would be a lot of work and wouldn't be as put together looking as I'd like. So instead, I'll be creating bunting for each cake.

Via The Sweetest Occassion

But what about our special gluten-free paleo cake? Of course, that needs something extra special. Per usual, I fell in love with a cake topper on Etsy. But at $150 it was out of our price range.

Via Lollipop Workshop

What's a girl to do?

Admittedly terrified, I decided to craft it myself. Thanks to some crafty girls ahead of me like Mrs. Armadillo and Mrs. Splatterpaint I gathered my supplies and gave it a whirl.

I was most terrified of the painting part, but it actually went pretty well! The clothes were not easy though. In the end, I think they're fine, but if I look for too long I get the urge to undo everything.

Peg people in the nude!

All dolled up. I still need to figure out a way to make a bouquet.

What's your DIY inspiration - are you an Etsy idea thief like me?

Holy Whole Foods, Batman

In the past year, Mr. Rucksack and I have joined that whole Paleo/Crossfit cult you may have heard of. Because of our commitment to eat healthy, non-processed foods, Whole Foods is kind of our mecca. Of course, our love affair with Whole Foods isn't entirely new. In fact, Mr. Rucksack worked at Whole Foods when he was a graduate student in Hartford. (He worked in the cheese department and his dad still sometimes refers to Mr. Rucksack as the king of cheese!)

Soon after we got engaged, Mr. Rucksack and I were shopping at our local Whole Foods when I literally stopped to smell the roses. "I would totally just use these as our wedding flowers," I told Mr. Rucksack. He asked "Well, why not?" And I thought well, yeah....why not?

These tiny bouquets are a mere $9.99 and they're gorgeous.

Via Yelp 

Plus even more full sized (and cheap!) options from my last visit:

Whole Foods will work with you to create custom floral arrangements too, so that we won't just be buying up a bunch of flowers at the last minute. (Pretty sure that's what Momma Rucksack pictured when I first told her our plan.) The only downside is that because everything is sourced locally (which is really a good thing), we're extremely limited in availability. Luckily, the Milford Whole Foods Florist, Frankie, was able to help out. She made a lot of phone calls and was able to pre-order pink dahlias, pink ranunculus (my favorite) and billy balls.  The rest she'll choose from whatever comes in fresh that day. It's a little scary, but I think I'm in good hands!

From Left to Right: Dahlia via Wikimedia; Ranunculus via Whole Blossoms; and Billy Balls via Whole Blossoms

In addition to purchasing our flowers at Whole Foods, they'll also be making our cakes for our cake buffet. They have the yummiest strawberry shortcake layer cake and one of the best chocolate cakes ever - and that's coming from someone who's not a big cake fan. I think it has to do with the fact that I don't feel like I'm eating a pound of confectioner's sugar when I eat their cakes. While they won't be making our small paleo cutting cake (I'm trusting that to a gluten free baker), I totally trust them to serve up a bunch of yummy cakes for our guests.

I would honestly be happy scooping up any and all of these cakes on our wedding day. 

At $27 per cake we'll be way under the typical cake budget and our guests will have plenty of options.

There are a couple of downsides to going the grocery route though, two points that Momma Rucksack keeps pointing out every time she's given a chance.The biggest being that someone will have to pick up all of the goodies the day before the wedding. Currently I've volunteered myself and a bridesmaid, but we'll see what sorts of drama unfolds. Worst case scenario, there will be plenty of family and friends around that I can bribe. Not to mention, my car was born for this job:

Via Cookin with Mama

That's right. 3 rows of fold-down seats in that baby. We can fit all sorts of wedding goods in that trunk.

Would you consider using a grocery store for any of your wedding items?

A Caveman Wedding? Or me babbling about food choices.

At the beginning of the year, Mr. Rucksuck and I committed to living a Paleo lifestyle. It's been over 7 months now and we could not be happier with our diets, waistlines, and the way our insides feel.

Our road to Paleo was pretty long and even included a trip down vegetarian lane that left us several pounds heavier and feeling generally yucky. After realizing we'd each gained quite a bit of weight in our year and a half together (foodies and winos in love is a bad weight loss combination) Mr. Rucksack joined a local Crossfit gym in December. The Paleo diet came along shortly after, and I jumped on the bandwagon too.

Sometimes vaguely called the Caveman Diet, we can really only eat meat, fruits, veggies and nuts. Nothing processed, no dairy, no gluten, no soy. Basically, if I can't hunt it or forage it, I can't eat it. (This is obviously super oversimplified, but if you're interested in learning more I'd suggest checking out Robb Wolf's site and Everyday Paleo to start.)

Via Hunger Games DWTC Fansite

I think it's fitting that I read the Hunger Games trilogy during my first few days being Paleo, even if I don't really hunt my own food.

Mr. Rucksack and I both stand firm in wanting to remain Paleo - like forever. For as long as I can remember I've had random unknown food allergies that left me with hives and stomach problems  that have all disappeared since starting Paleo. I've learned that I have a soy allergy (and you'd be surprised how many processed foods contain soy) and that my stomach doesn't particularly care for gluten. In addition to no more allergic reactions, I'm down ten pounds so I know I'm doing something right!

Since we're loving this whole Paleo thing, and I refuse to touch gluten and soy ever again, it kind of makes sense to have a Paleo menu for our wedding too. Don't worry, we're not doing some sort of Flintstones dinner.

Via Yedies

When we started to think more about our menu options, what really jumped out at us was a grilled menu. And since we're getting married on the beach, what's better than a clam bake?

Hey, Mrs. Corn! I stalked Mrs. Corn's wedding so hard back in '07! / Photo by Kate Whitney Lucey

Lobster, steak, chicken and vegetables? Now that is a paleo menu all of our guests can be excited about!

Mark & Stephanie, our caterers from Forks & Fingers, have been so accommodating to our needs. Mark's kids actually have Celiac Disease so he's a pro at gluten free menus. That definitely put our minds at ease since we know we have someone who really understands our dietary constraints.

Do you have dietary issues you're keeping in mind during wedding planning?