Hamburgers and French Fries and Blood Tests, Oh My!

I love data. Like, I freakishly love to compare numbers and track patterns. This obsession started a few years ago when I was forced to track my students' standardized test data. Yes, I was forced. Now, I get so excited that I text my friends and post the results on the McMillan fridge. The current display is the data about my Algebra students' District Common Assessment that they completely rocked on. Not to brag or anything, but they did awesome. 

Anyway, the reason I say this is because I recently had a Wellness Exam done and had blood taken. This is the first physical I've had since James and I started eating paleo in May. Before May, I honestly thought I was a healthy person. I exercised regularly and thought I made healthy food choices. My bread was always 100% whole wheat and packed with lots of fiber and protein. I made sure to choose the oatmeal that had the lowest sugar and a reasonable amount of carbs. We never bought prepackaged foods that were filled with extra unwanted ingredients. James and I have rarely went out to eat, so almost all of our meals were homemade. 

I've always known that my clothes fit better and that I feel better when I eat 'My Paleo'.  Now, I have data to support my case. If you think I've gone off the deep end, you're probably right. But I don't care. Hell, being in a new state I needed a hobby, and this one stuck. I've decided to be preventative about my health while I'm still young, especially since I have some undesirable health conditions in my family. Anyway, here are the results:

Blood Test Results Pre-Paleo / August 2011

Total Cholesterol: 211

Triglycerides: 106

HDL (Good Cholesterol): 68

LDL (Bad Cholesterol): 121 - I was told to monitor my saturated fats because I was on the borderline of having high cholesterol. What 26 year old wants to do that? How do you even do that?

Blood Test Results With Paleo / December 2012

Total Cholesterol: 172

Triglycerides: 72

HDL (Good Cholesterol): 77 - I am no longer at risk for having high cholesterol  In fact, I have increased my good cholesterol so much that I am in the preventative column of the chart.

LDL (Bad Cholesterol): 81 

Now, there were obviously other things that they tested that I could list, but I really don't want to bore you to death. The main point in sharing this is to show how paleo is working for me. I'm by no means a doctor, and I don't know exactly what all of the numbers mean. However, the little amount of research that I've done has shown that my numbers are pretty rad. 

Oh, this is what we had for dinner last night and it's 100% paleo. The french fries are red potatoes that were fried in coconut oil. French fries and Frank's hot sauce were my signature in college (especially after a Friday night out with my roommates), so I'm pumped to make them paleo. You can really tell a positive difference in the fries when they're cooked in coconut oil. They're still delicious, but not as heavy and you don't feel guilty after eating a pound...or two.

Steak Fajitas

My students are in a testing environment, which means I do not teach for the majority of the day. Ok, let's be honest. I don't teach at all. Instead, I monitor the bathrooms and sharpen pencils. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. I do get bored easily, so that sucks. I can only refresh my email so many times before it becomes obsessive. I think my mom and I need to have a serious talk about my childhood. I have a strange feeling I should have been (or was) diagnosed with ADD. James and I are going to have a handful with our future children. Sorry little ones, our bad.

James has a huge passion for steak fajitas, so I attempted to make them at home. Of course they aren't as sinfully delicious as the ones at a local Tex Mex establishment, but they are paleo. Perhaps they would be better if we had a grill. Scratch that, I know they would be better if we had a grill. Everything tastes better with some charcoal.

Fajita Ingredients
2 pounds of thin cut steak
1 Green bell pepper
1 Red bell pepper
1 Onion
1/4ish Cup of cilantro
2 Limes
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cumin
Salt
Pepper

Pico de gallo Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes
1/2 Onion
1/4 C chopped Cilantro
1 Tbsp Orange juice (I was out of lime)
Salt
Pepper

Directions
1. Thinly slice the onion and bell peppers
2. In a large bowl, place a layer of meet (about 2-3 steaks)
3. Season the meat with the above ingredients. Note: don't be afraid to go heavy on the cumin. That's what makes it fajita-y. Also, I would use the juice of 1/2 of a lime per layer.
4. Add a layer of the sliced vegetables.
5. Continue to layer the meat, seasoning, and vegetables until all of your ingredients are used. The reason I layer them is to get an even distribution of flavor. If it were an algebraic expression it would be,         seasoning (meat + vegetables). Yes, I just incorporated the Distributive Property into my recipe. I found a pair of mathematical Tom's that I'm dying to have. Dork status? Perhaps.
6. Toss all of the ingredients together and place in the refrigerator overnight (or for a few hours if you don't have time to leave it overnight).
7. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet and brown minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
8. Turn up the heat (mine was on 7) and add the meat and some vegetables. I was able to fit two steaks and some vegetables at a time.
9. Cook the meat for approximately 2 minutes per side. Since the steaks are thin, they don't require much time. You could get away with 1 minute per side if your skillet is hot enough and you let your meat sit afterwards (it continues to cook on the plate)
10. Top with sliced avocado and homemade pico and add cauliflower rice as a side. The cauliflower is a great filler and picks up the flavor of whatever is around it. I used to l.o.v.e rice, but I don't even think about it anymore.

Side-note: I forgot to take a picture until I had already started to eat. I also forgot to add the peppers and onions to my plate. Christmas break, please hurry. 

This is Elle enjoying our Christmas tree. Don't tell Brit, but we gave her a lot of cheese. It was the only way to make her happy with her mom and dad away. 

Gourmet Burgers and Fried Zucchini

One of the greatest foods of all time is a burger. A nice, juicy burger. James and I went to a place in Myrtle Beach that was absolutely delicious, and it sprouted our interest in creating unique burgers at home. Now, the burgers we had in Myrtle beach are way more adventurous with topping such as Doritos and peanut butter. If you ever have the urge to put peanut butter on a burger, make sure you have jalapenos to go with it. Seriously, do it.

This meal is 100% paleo and extremely yummy. Yes, it is possible to eat burgers and fried zucchini while being healthy. Here's how...

Ingredients for Burger

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• Worcestershire sauce (That is an incredibly hard word to spell. I would totally lose in a spelling bee.)
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Pepper
• Salt

*Combine all ingredients and cook at 450 degrees for 17 minutes. 18 is way too much.

Toppings
Fried egg
Sliced avocado (I had to use spellcheck. Again)
Homemade Pico

• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 1 Jalapeno
• 1/2 Lime
• Fresh cilantro

Fried Zucchini

• 2 Zucchini, sliced
• 1 Egg
• 2 Cups of almond flour
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Pepper
• Salt
• Coconut oil

*Heat oil. Dip zucchini in egg and then seasoned flour. Fry until zucchini is soft and the almond flour is brown. Note: almond flour really dirties the oil. Your zucchini will look darker than if you fried it in flour.

 

I don't like egg, at all, so mine is without. James on the other hand, went crazy with egg and it actually looks delicious. I know I would hate it, but it does look good.

 

 

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

My first couple years as a teacher I would share several stories about my students and the wonderful things they say. Now that I've been teaching for five years, I haven't been as good about sharing my interactions with the youth. This one, however...needs an audience. Keep in mind that I teach 8th grade now.


Student: Ms., my agenda fell in that thing. You know, that thing.
Other Student: Ummm, the urinal?
Student: Yes. My agenda fell in the urinal.
Me: Ok.
Student: There was pee in the urinal.
Me: Ok. Can you tell me why are you holding it by your face?
Student: Because I washed it off.
Me: Take it away from your face. You washed your (paper) agenda?
Student: Yes.
Me: Ok, so why are you telling me this? What would you like me to do?
Student: Nothing.
Me: Ok.
Student: Ok.

This is a combination of a few recipes I found online. I absolutely love desserts and my husband loves pumpkin, so this is perfect. We really enjoyed this beverage, and it was a great way to end a Monday morning.

Ingredients
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1 banana
3 dates, pitted and soaked for at least twenty minutes
honey
nutmeg
ginger
cinnamon
ice

Directions
Place all items in the Vitamix and enjoy.

I had to take the picture in front of the lights, because I am obsessed with making it feel like Christmas. It was 82 degrees today. Last night James put on the air conditioning so that I could enjoy a fire in the fire place.