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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!

Laughter: The Best Medicine

I know it’s Monday (Happy Presidents’ Day!), but I am already looking forward to Friday. Fridays are unique because I look forward to them so much, but by the time I get to them, I am so tired that I just want to plop myself down in front of a flickering blue screen and zone out. I am sure some of you share this same sentiment. The stress of the week (work, relationships, health) all build up and wear you down.

So when Friday nights roll around, I need a diversion. More specifically, I need a laugh. And a good hearty laugh is the best. By the time I’m finished with a good Friday-night laugh, I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders, and I am able to breathe more deeply before heading to bed. So I have concluded…

Hearty Laugh -> Less Stress = Healthy Heart

By no means am I a doctor, nor have I done a huge amount of research into the health benefits of laughter, but there seems to be enough evidence that laughter is a necessary part of the Healthy Lifestyle equation. Perhaps this is nothing new to you. But as I have become keener with my health, I have noticed that the healthy lifestyle goes far beyond the two typical focal points: Eating Habits & Exercise. In fact, here are a few quotes from my recent “laughter research.”