52 Pick-Up Challenge: Week #5

*This series of Friday posts is inspired by the blog entry--52 Pick-Up Paleo Style by Amy Kubal via robbwolf.com. Each post is based on this premise that Dietary Ruts = Kitchen Boredom -> Healthy Eating FAIL! So each week, I plan to share with you one meal from the previous week that I tried and enjoyed to help me stave off the boredom in my weekly meal plan.

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Whew! This has been a week of stress. It started out so peacefully with talks of reducing stressors by sleeping well and taking naps, but life at work blew up in my face. Life as a public-school teacher sometimes reaches these points which is why we celebrate Fridays so much. In fact, I am willing to put money down to bet that the motto “Thank God it’s Friday (TGIF)” originated from a teacher. 

For a little more insight on one stressor, just check out this article from the Chicago Tribune. Why? Who knew censorship was still alive & well? What were they thinking? Must we really start hiding or locking up our books in order to protect their freedom to read freely? I am glad I work for a principal in this school district that is level-headed and willing to protect that same freedom.

To relieve my stress, this weekend is going to be filled with a nice daytime date with my wife and cooking. And in the spirit of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, I am going with a green theme in this week’s 52 Pick-Up Paleo Style. No new foods, just creativity to keep things alive and well in the kitchen.

"My School Farted..."

I have never had such a unique day in my profession as a Chicago teacher, and my faith in today’s youth at my school has been redeemed. Just as students were walking into school today, the hallways started to smell like gas. The fire department was called in, and the administration went into emergency-plan mode. About a third of the students (including mine) were directed to the Catholic church about two blocks away. We sat there for about two and a half hours waiting for the all-clear to re-enter the building. Meanwhile, I had very understanding & patient conversations with students who were in a very uncomfortable situation. To each of those students, I applaud you. Great job staying level-headed! You broke the mold today! Many people have lost faith in our urban youth recently (for very valid reasons), but they reminded me that the public image is not always the correct image. In the end, we found out that the school released a gas bubble. Yep, my school farted.

This weekend was unique too. I was a cookin’ fool. I whipped up four tasty foods, and I am having a hard time figuring out which one to highlight in this upcoming Friday’s 52 Pick-Up Paleo Edition blog post. So I need your help. Here is a picture of each kitchen creation…

The yummy foods include:
1) Upper-Left: Beef with Broccoli & Cashews
2) Upper-Right: Paleo Pizza
3) Lower-Left: Chocolate Bacon Almond Butter Bananas
4) Lower-Right: Cod with Coconut Slaw

Help me by choosing one you'd like to see featured this Friday in my 52 Pick-Up Paleo Style Blog Post. Simply leave a comment below saying which one looks most interesting to you. Thanks!

Lastly, I am trying to sell as many copies of this great ecookbook by George Bryant, The Caveman Feast. It is currently on sale for $19.95 until Thursday, February 28^th In fact, the Chocolate Bacon Almond Butter Bananas are straight from Bryant’s imagination. So you can imagine all the other goodness that must be in his cookbook. Please click on the image of The Caveman Feast below to learn more & order your copy (+ goodies)!

If you need any more motivation to order a copy, just look at this cutie ready to munch on those lovely Chocolate Bacon Almond Butter Bananas! My daughter loved them!

 

52 Pick-Up Challenge: Week #2

*This series of Friday posts is inspired by the blog entry--52 Pick-Up Paleo Style by Amy Kubal via robbwolf.com. Each post is based on this premise that Dietary Ruts = Kitchen Boredom -> Healthy Eating FAIL! So each week, I plan to share with you one meal from the previous week that I tried and enjoyed to help me stave off the boredom in my weekly meal plan.

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One of the most interesting lessons I’ve learned over the past few months of eating a “Paleo-ized diet” is how prominent sugars are in the modern American diet. You’ve probably heard about the evils of high fructose corn syrup and the lack of anything positive from processed white sugar. So when someone wants a “healthy sugar” (is there such a thing?), they often turn to honey and maple syrup. They’re natural, right? So when I saw this recipe on PaleOMG’s blog while suffering a sweet-tooth attack, I knew I had to try it.

Recipe #2 of 52: Maple Blueberry Bacon Breakfast Carnitas with Fried Egg (Modified Recipe)

Enormous Hump Day

Oi! It’s Hump Day, and the hump I have to get over today seems enormous!

#1: I’m tired. Of course this is my fault for getting sucked into Downton Abbey and staying up late to get to the Season 3 finale. I’m averaging about 1 hour of sleep less than I was used to because the writers keep dragging these episodes into the 2 hour range. But the good news is that I am almost caught up with the rest of the world with the DA storyline.

#2: I’m stressed. The honeymoon period is officially over in my classroom. My freshmen are starting to act very sophomoric! Ain’t nobody got time for that! And if any of you are reading this, understand that I push high expectations because your growth is my greatest concern & passion.

So I have decided to share a few links that I think will help me get over this hump. Please support these sites by visiting them, subscribing to them, buying from them, and paying it forward by sharing them with your posse of peeps.

FOOD TO GET ME OVER THE HUMP:

1)      Bulletproof Coffee! You’ve all heard of lattes, espresso, cappuccinos, and other yummy hot beverages, but have you ever heard of butter in your coffee? The Paleo Mama put this idea in my head with this blog post: I Just Put Butter In My Coffee. And I must do this to get me over this hump.

2)      Bacon! I had the right ingredients to make a yummy bacon-y dish yesterday morning that I will highlight on Friday. But to get me over the hump today, I am looking forward to Baconfest Chicago 2013! The tickets go on sale at NOON (CST) today! Get yours here sold out in 41 minutes! The wonderful thing is the amount of money raised to support The GreaterChicago Food Depository ($50,000 last year).

READING TO GET ME OVER THE HUMP:

1)       “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food” by Michael Moss (Author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us): I know many documentaries are out talking about the food industry and the impact on our health. But this book excites me! It’s already on hold for me at the local CPL branch.

2)      “RewireYour Brain for Positivity and Happiness Using the Tetris Effect” by Walter Chen: I’m not sure what caught my attention most…Tetris or the amazing brain!

3)      Biblical Proverbs: My wife and I are reading through Proverbs. One Bible proverb chapter a day for 31 days. “Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.” (Prov. 1:5)

I know these are helping me get over the hump of a difficult week. I hope they help you too! Thanks for reading and sharing!