First off, if you don't own Robb Wolf's, The Paleo Solution, you are behind the times and need to order it asap. Not only is he hysterical in a nerdy kind of way (which in my book makes him totally hawt - we could get down and dirty and talk science...rawrrr), but the guy is pure genius and has an innate ability to educate Joe Schmo on hormones and how our bodies respond to what we do or do not put in them. Buy it; you won't regret it.
Next, I want to tell you why I'm obsessed with cortisol as of late. Yes, I claim to be working hard at being healthy and doing what is best for my body, but then I drink 4 bottles of vino and stay up into the wee hours of the morning (not pointing fingers ladies, just sayin'). Then what do I do? Drink a pot of coffee, complain about looking like I'm forty when I'm only thirty, spend the day running around like a maniac, then go home and gear up for another night out. What does Sunday look like? Repeat the above. What does this mean for my body? It means I don't sleep and my body releases cortisol; it means I drink caffeine like it's going out of style and my body releases cortisol; it means I forget to care what I eat because I'm so tired and my body gets stressed and releases cortisol. Why does this matter? Because, while cortisol is great in small doses, large doses jack you up (for lack of a technical term).
And here's the brief, minus all the sciency stuff that bores most people to tears (even though that is my favorite part): prolonged increases in cortisol, brought on by stress, caffiene, and lack of sleep cause a myriad of health issues. We're talking big issues here, folks. Decreased muscle and bone density, memory loss, high blood pressure, immune deficiency, and flabby bellies to name a few.
So, stop stressing your body out. Eat clean, sleep long and well, exercise (using varied, functional movements...CHEESE!), lay off the espresso (some is okay, just don't use it as your primary fuel), and SLOW DOWN! Your body will thank you for it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Paleo Pizza
Dough:
1 C almond flour/meal
3 TBSP cashew butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
1/3 C egg whites
Preheat oven to 250. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add in almond flour and nut butter and mix thoroughly. Grease baking sheet with olive oil and flatten dough until about 1/4" thick. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and load with your favorite toppings.
Recommended toppings:
Pesto/olive oil sauce
Chopped onion
Baby spinach
Mushrooms
Chicken breast
Black olives
Artichoke hearts
Zucchini slices
I cooked the chicken and sauteed the veggies in olive oil until just tender. Load up the pizza and bake for another 10 minutes or until done. The dough will be crisp, more like a cracker crust than soft dough.
1 C almond flour/meal
3 TBSP cashew butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
1/3 C egg whites
Preheat oven to 250. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add in almond flour and nut butter and mix thoroughly. Grease baking sheet with olive oil and flatten dough until about 1/4" thick. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and load with your favorite toppings.
Recommended toppings:
Pesto/olive oil sauce
Chopped onion
Baby spinach
Mushrooms
Chicken breast
Black olives
Artichoke hearts
Zucchini slices
I cooked the chicken and sauteed the veggies in olive oil until just tender. Load up the pizza and bake for another 10 minutes or until done. The dough will be crisp, more like a cracker crust than soft dough.
Mama's Perfect Pork Chops
This recipe came from simplyrecipes.com via Jamie Kimberlin. I haven't made it yet, but Jamie told me it was fantastical and, quite frankly, she's usually right. I will make it tonight and if it sucks, will remove it tomorrow (just kidding!) I know it will be scrumptious; can't wait to taste test it!
Mama's Perfect Pork Chops (based on recipe from Simplyrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 thick cut boneless pork chops (1-1/2in thick if possible)
a few splashes of balsamic vinegar
1-2TB of evoo
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
1-2tsp fresh thyme or something of that sort
paprika
1TB ghee, or butter, or bacon fat
Method:
-mix vinegar,evoo,garlic,and thyme together in a bowl. salt and pepper pork chops and put in a ziplock with the marinade for 30mins
-when ready, heat cast iron skillet or sauté pan on medium high, when hot add cooking fat to coat the bottom of the pan
-take chops out of marinade and sprinkle each side with a bit of paprika. place in hot pan- make sure there is plenty of space b/t them
-brown pork chops for about 5-6 mins on first side without moving them.
-when it is time to flip, if you are using a cast iron pan, you can turn off the heat and cover the pan once you flip them. the pan holds enough heat to sear and cook the chops after the heat is turned off. mine were very thick so I kept the heat on low for about another 5-7 minutes to cook them and then turned it off. 140 degrees was perfection for me on these.
-served with Jen's Mediterranean asparagus, absolutely MAGIC people. http://theycallitfallingforareason.blogspot.com/2010/10/mediterranean-asparagus.html
Here is the real Mama's recipe, I haven't tried the rub since I had zero time for that shiz. looks delish though.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moms_perfect_pork_chops/
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Paleo Brownies
These are pretty delightful. They will be flatter than normal brownies, unless you add non-paleo baking powder. I've made several variations of this, and this seems to be the best. You could also try whipping some egg whites to form stiff peaks in place of baking powder to see if that helps fluff up the brownies. Any way, they are still tasty and satisfying!
Ingredients:
1/2 C Coconut Oil
6 TBSP Raw Unfiltered Honey
2 Eggs
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/3 C Cocoa Powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 350
Melt coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat. Add honey and blend. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes to cool.
In medium mixing bowl, beat eggs. Mix in oil and honey. Slowly add cocoa powder and almond flour. Mix thoroughly.
Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture over paper and bake 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
1/2 C Coconut Oil
6 TBSP Raw Unfiltered Honey
2 Eggs
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/3 C Cocoa Powder
Method:
Preheat oven to 350
Melt coconut oil in small saucepan over low heat. Add honey and blend. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes to cool.
In medium mixing bowl, beat eggs. Mix in oil and honey. Slowly add cocoa powder and almond flour. Mix thoroughly.
Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture over paper and bake 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Sauteed Sea Scallops
Ingredients:
1 lb wild caught large sea scallops
1/4 C coconut oil
lemon juice
Method:
Rinse and pat dry sea scallops. Heat coconut oil in large skillet over low-medium heat. Once fully melted, arrange scallops in skillet and cook until lightly browned (about 4-5 mins). Turn and cook another 4-5 minutes on the other side. Remove from oil and drizzle with lemon juice.
1 lb wild caught large sea scallops
1/4 C coconut oil
lemon juice
Method:
Rinse and pat dry sea scallops. Heat coconut oil in large skillet over low-medium heat. Once fully melted, arrange scallops in skillet and cook until lightly browned (about 4-5 mins). Turn and cook another 4-5 minutes on the other side. Remove from oil and drizzle with lemon juice.
Mediterranean Asparagus
Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Asparagus
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1/2 C Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/4 C Calamata Olives, chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Cut woody ends from asparagus. Mix all ingredients in medium sized bowl. Line baking sheet with foil. Spread asparagus evenly on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
1 Bunch of Asparagus
1/4 C Olive Oil
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1/2 C Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/4 C Calamata Olives, chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Cut woody ends from asparagus. Mix all ingredients in medium sized bowl. Line baking sheet with foil. Spread asparagus evenly on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Sweet Potato Chews
This came in an email from Whole 9. These are absolutely delicious. I made them last night and will definitely make them again.
Post-Workout Sweet Potato Chews
Cast of Characters:
Sweet potatoes. I thought these were yams, but apparently they are sweet potatoes. Whatever, I don’t really care. Just get the orange ones. The yellow ones don’t survive being baked and cooked.
Cinnamon. I’ve read that it improves insulin sensitivity. It’s also delicious.
Coconut oil. It imparts a subtle coconut taste that rounds out the flavor of the sweet potato in a truly marvelous way.
Now Do This:
First, you have to bake the sweet potatoes, so preheat oven to 325.
Spread a piece of aluminum foil on a middle rack and bake as many as you can fit for about an hour. You want them soft, so the skins easily pull away from the sides.
After baking, let them cool in the oven until it’s convenient to move on to the next step. Sitting in the oven overnight is fine, in fact.
Now you have to peel them. If you baked them long enough, you should be able to get most of the peel off with your fingers. Use a knife for any stubborn bits.
This will make MANY pans of sweet potato chews.
Next, you need to slice them and arrange them on a baking sheet. You can use a pan liner (like Silpat) to make removal of the finished product easier.
Cut them about 1/2 a centimeter thick. You want a uniform thickness if possible, and I find 1/2 cm gives me enough potato to keep it from becoming a mess when I transfer pieces to the pan.
Arrange them flat side up.
Now, melt your coconut oil and paint on your potato slices using a pastry brush.
Give a healthy dusting of cinnamon (I really load up).
Then back to the oven it goes for the “drying”. Cooking at 350 for 50 minutes brings about half the pan to an acceptable level. They sizzle nicely under the high heat.
Usually, I’ll remove the done ones and throw the pan back in for another 10 minutes and that produces pretty good results. I’ve also done 300 degrees and 90 minutes. That works pretty well too and is more forgiving, meaning less crispy pieces. You may have to experiment a bit. If you go too long or too hot, you will have sweet potato crisps. Not bad, but I prefer the chewy consistency of soft dried fruit.
Partition slices into perfect PWO portions and pack them in Ziploc bags or covered glass storage containers. (I don’t know how long they keep because we’ve never had a batch last longer than a couple days.) Enjoy!
Post-Workout Sweet Potato Chews
Cast of Characters:
Sweet potatoes. I thought these were yams, but apparently they are sweet potatoes. Whatever, I don’t really care. Just get the orange ones. The yellow ones don’t survive being baked and cooked.
Cinnamon. I’ve read that it improves insulin sensitivity. It’s also delicious.
Coconut oil. It imparts a subtle coconut taste that rounds out the flavor of the sweet potato in a truly marvelous way.
Now Do This:
First, you have to bake the sweet potatoes, so preheat oven to 325.
Spread a piece of aluminum foil on a middle rack and bake as many as you can fit for about an hour. You want them soft, so the skins easily pull away from the sides.
After baking, let them cool in the oven until it’s convenient to move on to the next step. Sitting in the oven overnight is fine, in fact.
Now you have to peel them. If you baked them long enough, you should be able to get most of the peel off with your fingers. Use a knife for any stubborn bits.
This will make MANY pans of sweet potato chews.
Next, you need to slice them and arrange them on a baking sheet. You can use a pan liner (like Silpat) to make removal of the finished product easier.
Cut them about 1/2 a centimeter thick. You want a uniform thickness if possible, and I find 1/2 cm gives me enough potato to keep it from becoming a mess when I transfer pieces to the pan.
Arrange them flat side up.
Now, melt your coconut oil and paint on your potato slices using a pastry brush.
Give a healthy dusting of cinnamon (I really load up).
Then back to the oven it goes for the “drying”. Cooking at 350 for 50 minutes brings about half the pan to an acceptable level. They sizzle nicely under the high heat.
Usually, I’ll remove the done ones and throw the pan back in for another 10 minutes and that produces pretty good results. I’ve also done 300 degrees and 90 minutes. That works pretty well too and is more forgiving, meaning less crispy pieces. You may have to experiment a bit. If you go too long or too hot, you will have sweet potato crisps. Not bad, but I prefer the chewy consistency of soft dried fruit.
Partition slices into perfect PWO portions and pack them in Ziploc bags or covered glass storage containers. (I don’t know how long they keep because we’ve never had a batch last longer than a couple days.) Enjoy!
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