Mmm … Breakfast

Yesterday morning a few of us had a great workout at 10AM, followed by breakfast at one of my favorites — Tenth Street Pourhouse.  Had a great time with Jenn and Erica on Day 24 out of 30!

Fresh omelette (salsa + turkey bacon) and sweet potato fries!

Dinner in My Belly

Braised beef with mustard-horseradish sauce; Spiced carrots with raisins; Sauteed Swiss chard and onions!

Day 22 … and Phone Interview?

Hey all … and the month continues.  Day 22.

So far so great!  I’ve been able to stay the course, and definitely feel fantastic (no bloating anymore, eating delicious food, mental acuity seems to have sharpened a bit in the last week or so).  I’ve been kind of dragging a bit lately in the energy department, so some knowledgeable friends suggested I try adding in a few more sweet potatoes during my week, cutting down a bit on the eggs each day, and see where that takes me.  Maybe give me a nice infusion of carbs that I might be needing.  I haven’t been sleeping the best lately, but I’m hoping that changes with time.

Also … a phone interview!  Yep, my first in a long time.  It went just fine, I think, considering it occurred first thing in the morning (well, for me, at least).  I awoke to my phone vibrating on the nightstand, and seeing a local area code, picked it up, thinking, “Ahh, harmless phone call reminding me of a doctor’s appointment or something like that.”

Nope.  Nurse Recruiter from local hospital asking to talk to me about a position.

Crap.  I’m half-asleep, groggy-voiced, and thinking I’d much rather retreat to a hot shower.  Alas, I think, this could work for me.  Perhaps I’ll come across as smooth or something.  Yeah, right.

Anyway, she didn’t want to schedule me for an interview, as I had thought, but rather interview me right THERE on the phone.  A sort of pre-screening, as it were, I suppose to make sure I wasn’t a bumbling, incoherent wannabe nurse.  Which I hope I wasn’t.

Cut to 10-15 minutes later, after a few interesting questions (“What kinds of diseases do you think you’ll see in this particular unit?”), and I was told, “If the unit wants to interview you after I speak to them, I’ll call you back.”

Mmmhmm, ok.

Well, lucky for me, my Super Suave Morning Croak must have won them over, and I’m scheduled for a real, in-person, I-should-wear-a-nice-suit interview come next week.  I’ll keep y’all posted on how that goes.

As for now … Day 22 it is, gonna finish out this month strong, and continue on the path to good health.

Paleo Bread

So, as promised, I decided to try making “Paleo Bread,” which comes from Elana’s Pantry and can be found here.

For those of you not inclined to click on the link, here’s the recipe:

• 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 5 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt, and baking soda in a food processor.
2. Pulse ingredients together.
3. Pulse in eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar.
4. Pour batter into a greased 7.5″ x 3.5″ loaf pan.
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

It was incredibly easy to make, taking only about 55 minutes from start to finish.  The use of my roommate’s sweet food processor certainly helped things along.  The finished bread tastes kind of like banana bread (but obviously without the bananas) and definitely has the consistency of more dessert-like breads.  I wouldn’t ever use this to make sandwiches, for instance.

Here is a photo of the bread before going into the oven, followed by the finished product.  The recipe calls for 30 minutes in the oven, but our oven required more like 45, because it is officially the Coldest Oven in the World.  (Apparently.)

Day 11

So day 11 is upon us.  September 11, as it were.  Ten years ago today I was sent home from work early, and had to wake up my roommate to tell him the news — he worked nights and was already in bed.  We watched TV all day together, we prayed together, and then we watched the world change in a million ways.  Life is short, and hard, and complicated, and worth living in every possible way.

Today’s picture comes courtesy of the NurseKenny Grill, where the following was prepared:

NY Strip Steak + veggie medley

Five More Things Off the Top of My Head

1. I used to assume there was no better way to brew a cup of coffee than a percolator (1980s-style Farberware), but now I’m starting to seriously doubt that assumption.
2. I have a slight obsession with bathrooms.  How they’re built.  What kind of shower heads they have.  The angles of privacy.  It’s all fascinating.
3. Jack Reacher is pretty much the most badass hero of all the smart thrillers I’ve read.  Six-feet-five, 250 pounds, blue eyes, blond hair, forearms like massive slabs of Virginia ham, smart, resourceful, polite … and Tom Cruise is playing him in the movies.  Tom Cruise!  Worst casting ever.
4. Autumn is, by far, the best season in the history of the world.  At least on the East Coast.  Spring comes 2nd, followed closely by summer, and bringing up the rear (the far rear) is winter, which has its few moments.
5. I traveled to Ocean City, MD, last Sunday evening to see a cover band called Mr. Greengenes.  Even after almost 18 years, they never get old.  Such a great rock show.

The Mountains + Some Pics

The Poconos and family time for Labor Day Weekend.  Glorious.  Such a great time.  It really is such a special place for me.

However, this meant kind of doing a sort of “half-hearted fast” for the weekend, seeing as most of the food to be had was non-paleo.  I didn’t necessarily go hungry, but I ate a lot of fruit this past weekend.  Some meat when it was around, but it felt good to stay strong and not deviate.

I’ve thought about some sort of goal for these 30 days, and one of them includes trying a brand-new recipe every week (even better, trying 2 or 3).  For this week, I’m going to try the following:

http://shecookshecleans.net/2011/09/05/oh-baby-its-a-sandwich/

It’d be so very, very nice to eat sandwiches again, so I’ll try making this bread and add some rosemary, thyme, and marjoram to it to see whether I can kick up the flavor a bit.  Wish me luck!

Here’s a pic from lunch today.  Enjoy!

6 fried eggs, fresh salsa, turkey bacon!

Day 2 Lunch

Headed up the Poconos in a few hours, so no posts until probably Tuesday.  Until then, set your eyes upon this feast of epic proportions:

Beef burgers, avocado, broccoli, and turkey bacon!

Day 1

Today was pretty awesome.

Woke up at a nice hour, worked through my day eating strict paleo (coffee, fruit, turkey bacon, eggs, almonds, avocado), and helped a friend move this afternoon, so I stuck with the “lift heavy things” mantra by which some paleo folks live.  Took a 30-minute core conditioning class led by the amazing Roger.

Dinner was 4 grilled, grass-fed beef burgers with a grilled sweet potato (loaded with olive oil and cinnamon) — photo down below — and then the roommate and I sat outside on our patio and chatted and ruminated while she knitted.  Good day overall!

Tomorrow I’m headed up to Lake Minisink, one of the most special places in all of the Earth (thanks, M & A, for letting me tag along on the car ride).  I’ll be up there until Sunday afternoon, so I’ll post more when I return!  Congrats to Erica, Jenn, Kristie, and Heather (Heather, you around here somewhere?) on Day 1!  You all rock for undergoing this challenging month.  🙂

Paleo Deliciousness for Dinner

Tomorrow is Go-Day

Well, friends, September is almost upon us, and that means it’s time for the 30-Day Ancestral Health Challenge.

I’ve gotten a few questions from some folks who are asking me specifically what this means.  I’ll try to be concise:

1. It’s definitely not a detox sort of plan.  The goal is to spend 30 days eating strictly paleo (no sugar, grain, legumes, dairy, or processed oils), and let the body adjust gradually to that way of eating.  After 30 days, if I so choose, I’ll start adding in some non-paleo (but still healthy) foods to see how my body reacts.
2. It’s definitely 30 months of moving!  I’ll be working out pretty hard and playing pretty hard.  The “playing” portion of this might include some leisurely bike rides, long walks through the city with friends/family, or just a Wiffle Ball game in the park (Roger, are you reading this?).
3. Last, but not least, one might be tempted to call this a “diet,” and yes, it sort of is.  I’d like, however, to call it a lifestyle.  I know that sounds all hippy-ish and new-agey or whatever, but I’ve eaten this way before and I know that my body feels wonderful in doing so.  I sleep better, I have more energy (after my body starts burning fat for energy instead of sugar), and my skin feels healthier.  It’s a lifestyle because I really want it to be.  And this 30 days, I hope, will be a nice kick-start to get me on the right track.

A friend (Hi there, E1!) recently pointed out to me, in the nice way she often does, that I am definitely an “all-or-nothing” kind of person.  I set out to do things, and if one or two little things go wrong, it spells impending doom and it’s the end of my grand plans.  It was a pretty stark reminder of how far I have to go, and I thank her for that.  In any case, though, I cannot wait to get started tomorrow.  I went shopping today, and our fridge, freezer, and pantry are loaded up with paleo deliciousness.  Hopefully I’ll start adding some photos of the yum meals I have in store.

Again, visit my partners in crime by clicking on their links to the right (Jenn Siegel and E-Chopz), and wish us luck!