10 Tips to Make You a Better Cook

I decided to put together a list of tips that will make any home cook like me a little better.  I watched WAY too much Food Network over the last year, and I have learned many-a-tip and trick that make meals so much easier and tastier.  This is school of hard knocks stuff.  Confidence is seriously the difference between the people that say “I can’t cook” and the ones that cook awesome stuff.  Hopefully these tips will make you a little bit more confident at dinnertime.

Number 1:  Cook (almost) everything on a HOT surface.

I know…not exactly something you’ve never heard, but when I say HOT, I mean HOT, not warm.  This means, heat your pan or grill so that the food makes sizzle noises when you drop it in.  Cooking with hot metal makes good, crusty, brown food…nobody likes a gray steak or soggy, wet vegetables.  There are exceptions (chopped garlic burns fast, eggs are better with low heat, and bacon will get crispier if start with a cool pan) but generally speaking, go hot metal.

Number 2:  Learn some knife skills.

Important early lessons include dicing onions, julienning (is that a word?) and dicing carrots, squash, zucchini, potatoes, and other similar vegetables.  There are hundreds of how-to’s on Youtube for proper knife technique.  When things are cut the same size, they cook evenly.  Do some Googling and practice often.  Speaking of cutting practice…

Number 3: Approach each meal/recipe with some organization.

Plan ahead as often as possible with prep.  I use onions in almost every meal, so if I happen to be cooking dinner, I will dice one extra onion and bag it up for later.  Dice up vegetables, defrost meat, make salad dressings, and get meals in the Crockpot early and cooking is much easier.

Number 4: Clean as you go.

No one likes a sink full of dirty crap after eating a nice meal.  While things are cooking, clean up.  If you are constantly cleaning and cooking, you lose no time, and leave no mess, but keep a sharp eye on your pan so nothing burns.

Number 5: Cook more than you will need.

Might be the most useful tip of all.  Huge dinner on Tuesday night = Wednesday breakfast and lunch.

Number 6: Season everything…salt is your friend.

If you stay away from processed food, no need to fret about the sodium.  As you cook, add good salt…probably more than you think you should, and everything will taste better.

Number 7: Buy a nice digital meat thermometer.

It is very hard to ‘eyeball’ medium rare steak or medium pork chops.  If you can do that consistently, congrats, you are better than my blog and me.  For everyone else, use a thermometer stuck into the thickest part (or area near a bone) of the meat and use this chart.

Number 8: Keep some fresh herbs around.

Add them to pretty much every meal, chopped up.  Chopped parsley looks good on the plate, too.

Number 9: Learn how to make some vinaigrette's.

Pretty easy stuff.  First, buy some good vinegars (balsamic, red wine, champagne, apple cider are my go-tos) and some good extra virgin olive oil.  Most basic version is about 1 part vinegar and some salt and pepper to 2-3 parts olive oil.  Whisk them together by slowly drizzling in the oil.  Play around with this recipe by adding Dijon mustard, herbs, chopped garlic, shallots, or any other spices (you can also replace the vinegar with citrus juices).  Good vinaigrette's make great salad dressings, sauces, and marinades.

Number 10: Wing it often.

Don’t get caught up in the “Is it ½  teaspoon or ¾ teaspoon of paprika game?”  I still do this too much.  It really doesn’t matter…it will taste good if you are in the ballpark. 

When going off-recipe, it helps me to think in terms of flavors.  Try to balance one part of the meal with another. Pair salty pork with sweet apples.  Stuff spicy jalapenos with creamy cheeses.  You get the idea.

Now go cook something!

Easy Salmon

Salmon is widely considered one of the healthiest proteins you can cook and eat.  They pack a solid dose of Omega 3’s, and they are full of protein.  Many people are not totally comfortable cooking fish, but I have learned an easy, almost foolproof way to get it done. Today I share an easy, delicious, impressive-looking way to cook up some salmon fillets.  I usually cook these up with a salad for a nice, light dinner.  They are also especially good with some pureed cauliflower.  Anyways, onto the step-by-step…

Pan Roasted Salmon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

-Salmon fillets (skinless is easier, but either is fine) that are dry and at room temperature. If skin is on, cut very small scores into the skin trying not to pierce the flesh under.

-Salt

-Pepper

-Oil/fat (in order of preference: butter (not Whole30 compliant), coconut oil, or olive)

-Cast iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pan. Cast iron rules.

Directions:
-Heat pan on medium to medium-high for a few minutes. If you heat the oil with the pan, it will probably burn and smoke before you start...no bueno.

-Season fish with plenty of salt and pepper on both sides.

-Once pan is good and hot, add enough fat/oil to sufficiently coat the bottom of pan.

-Immediately add salmon into the oil (skin side down if skin is on).

Notice the whitening flesh creeping up from the bottom...

-Leave it alone until the flesh of the salmon is white about ½ to ¾ up the side of the fillet.  If you leave it alone, you will have a nice crust that looks pretty Pro.

-Flip the fillets over and immediately put the pan into the heated oven.

-Cook about 1-2 minutes until flesh is all white.  Careful, this will happen quickly.

Boom. Crispy.

-Serve with some steamed or roasted veggies or a salad!

*For a good sauce, I like to bring some balsamic vinegar, some orange zest, and a squeeze of orange juice to a simmer, and cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Plate the salmon right on top of some of the sauce…good stuff.

Go get those Omega-3s!

Sweet Potato Hash

Some call breakfast the most important meal of the day.  Certainly debatable. In fact, I have been experimenting with some intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast completely with really good results (another post for another day).  What is not debatable though, what is not refutable, is that breakfast food is always delicious. Fried eggs with runny yolks, bacon, sausage fluffy omelettes, waffles (I never claimed to be Paleo Perfect)…all legends that stand proudly in my food Hall of Fame. 

Today, I am sharing an awesome Whole 30 compliant recipe for sweet potato hash and poached eggs.  I was going through my food pictures trying to pick a recipe to write about (and to break a bit of a blog-slump) and I saw about 10 recurrences of The Hash, so I figured it was the only way to go.  This is a great breakfast meal, but it also works great as a post workout meal filled with some healthy carbs and protein.  Here we go…not just the recipe either, we’re gonna cover the prep work, too. 

This is your meal.

Ingredients

-Spices/seasoning: salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne (if ya like it spicayyy)

-Sweet potato (about 1 small potato per person)

-Onion (about half of a small onion per person)

-Handful of spinach

-Eggs (2 per person)

-Coconut oil

-White vinegar

-Fresh parsley

Prep

-Dice potato: cut off a long edge of potato so that it will lay flat on the board.  Repeat on all sides.  Cut long way so that you have even, long slices.  Lay one or two slices at a time flat and cut long ways through to make “fry” shapes.  Cut the fries the short way into dice.

(Lil step by step action)

-Dice onion.

-Chop parsley.

Cooking

Hash

-Heat pan on medium-high heat (cast iron is great for this).  Melt enough coconut oil to sufficiently cover the bottom of pan.

-Add potatoes and seasoning (experiment with seasoning amounts, to each his/her own!) and cook for 3-5 minutes before adding onion and some chopped parsley.  Stir every minute or so until potatoes are tender and browning.

-When potatoes look right, turn heat to low and fold in spinach so that it wilts.

-Move to the eggs while the hash stays in the hot pan.

**Optional - we often add any leftover meats we have to the hash later in the cooking process...sausage, ground beef or turkey, and even chicken work great.

Eggs

-Bring pot or saucepan filled with water to a near-boil (should not be bubbling wildly, but should be steamy).

-Add approximately 1 tsp of vinegar per cup of water.  This step is crucial, as it will prevent the whites from “swimming” all over the water.

-Crack eggs gently into a small container, one at a time to make sure the yolks are intact, and then add them to the water/vinegar.

-Cook for about 5 minutes or until they are cooked to your liking.  Best way to get a feel for timing is to use an extra test egg…take it out first to see if the others will be done.

-Plate the hash.  Top with two eggs, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

Enjoy breakfast and all of its yolky goodness!

Four Solid Veggie Recipes

There is one thing that the mainstream and everyone else can all agree on when it comes to food: we should all be eating more vegetables.  I try to get a good helping of them with every meal…problem is, they can get boring.  Here are four unique ways to cook up some nice side dishes…

Roasted Curried Cauliflower Steaks

1 Head of Cauliflower

Cumin

Smoked Paprika

Any curry powder

Salt

Olive oil

Preheat over to 350

First, sit the head of cauliflower upright on your board.  Start from one side of the cauliflower and slice head into ¼ to ½ inch slices (should look like two-dimensional trees).  Arrange ‘steaks’ on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with all of the spices and salt on both sides.  Roast in heated oven for around 30 minutes (flipping them once) or until browned.

With my favorite meatloaf and some salad

Simple Arugula Salad

Arugula

One avocado, diced

One diced Roma tomato

Lemon

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Toss arugula with avocado and tomato.  Dress with a squeeze of lemon, drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Salad at breakfast? Yes.

Grilled Kale

Kale

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat grill.  Drizzle whole kale leaves (steams on) with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place leaves directly on hot grill and cook until leaves brown and crisp.  Cut from stems when finished and cut into bite sized pieces.

*These can also be tossed with a dressing like a salad.  I actually tried it with some Greek yogurt and it was awesome...sounds weird, tastes great.

Great as a BBQ side.

Paleo Creamed Spinach

Chopped spinach

1 chopped onion

Coconut oil

Coconut milk

Salt and Pepper

Saute onions in coconut oil over low-medium heat until soft.  Add chopped spinach.  When spinach heats up and begins to wilt, add enough coconut milk to cover bottom of pan.  Add salt and pepper.  Let the mixture simmer over low heat until the spinach thickens (about 10-15 minutes should do).

More meatloaf!

 Give 'em all a try! Vegetables can taste good!

"Healthy"

I was talking with a coworker today about how whole grains have become so prevalent in the American diet.  I would guess that 9 out of 10 people on the street would insist that people should eat plenty of them on a daily basis.  We were talking about how that could have happened if eating whole grains were, in reality, not only unnecessary, but harmful.  How can so many people be convinced that they NEED something that will ultimately do them potentially more harm than good??  That is an excellent question.  Got me thinking…who can you trust when it comes to health? 

Let’s think about that.  In a perfect world, I would answer: the government, doctors, health-food companies, pharmaceutical companies, and anyone else claiming to want to make me healthier.  I would definitely place these parties at the top when it comes to food advice in a perfect world.  The problem is that the world is not perfect.  There are other motivators in the real world that seem to steer our trusted advisors.  More often than not, those motivators are dollar bills.

Let’s start on the medical side…Now, I am not saying that doctors are motivated by money and don’t want to help get people healthier.  In fact, I have the utmost respect for doctors and nurses and the rigorous training and schooling that they must endure to gain their statuses. What I am saying is that perhaps the system in which the doctors operate does not give them enough tools to help patients live healthy lives.

The entire American healthcare system is designed around helping to repair damaged people.  We have cutting edge medicines and procedures to cure illness, to fix broken bones and torn ligaments, and even to make fat people skinnier.  That is all great, and I am proud of what our country has discovered in these arenas, BUT…what does our healthcare system do to help us AVOID breaking?  There is virtually no preventative value in our current system.  Bottom line is that the system is taking on too much responsibility to try to make people healthy via medicine and surgery.  I firmly believe that the healthcare debate/problem in our country is far less complicated than made out to be.  Insurance companies all claim that it is the “cost of care” that drives rising health costs in the US.  I agree.  Let’s save that money that we are spending on “care” and put it towards “prevention” via healthier lifestyle education.  Instead of opting for the costly gastric bypass surgery, how about teaching people to lift some weights and to cook food that doesn’t need a microwave? Costs of treating cardiovascular disease are forecasted (by the American Heart Association) to come to a cool $818 billion in 2030.  Come on.  We cannot let that happen.  It’s insane to call this an ‘epidemic’.  Most of these ‘sick’ people can fix themselves with some good food.  Rx: eat salads.

So we have established that the healthcare system doesn’t really advise us much on how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle, so who else do we turn to?  Sadly, that answer usually falls somewhere between advertisers and the USDA.  I say “sadly” because none of these parties are at all objective.  For example, the US Government spends approximately $5 billion on farm subsidies per year (direct payments to farmers) to produce: corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice, and some other nuts, seeds and grains. The government is practically in the grain business.  Coincidentally, every diet that the USDA has recommended includes a nice base of grains despite much research that grains are not too good for us.  Why don’t they subsidize vegetables?  Because grains make more money.  By the way…for you grain-junkies, I ask you this: can you name a benefit to eating grains that you cannot get by eating vegetables?  No.  So why are we supposed to eat them again?  (Not rhetorical, please tell me). 

Lastly, I don’t really need to spend much time on explaining why marketers of food products cannot be trusted.  They spend over $10 billion (a 2004 estimate, probably much higher now) in annual advertising, and they use names like “Lean Cuisine” and “Healthy Choice” to dupe us.  Have you ever met someone that looks “Lean” and feels “Healthy” that eats nothing but “Lean Cuisine?”  If so, I would like to meet him.  Don’t buy this garbage. Moving on.

 My point is simply that there are countless different viewpoints around proper diets, nutrition, and exercises…all claiming to be the ‘healthiest.’  If we continue to listen to what ‘they’ tell us with no objection, we will continue to suffer from the epidemic that is poor health.  This is a big, expensive problem…take action, question authority, and make an effort to find your own definition of ‘healthy’.

Eggs! Six Ways to Cook Em Up!

Let’s talk about eggs.  They are one of the most nutritious foods around, they are easy to cook, and they taste great.  If you aren’t eating them, you should be.  Egg dishes fit in breakfast, lunch, or dinner so I figured we would look at a few of my favorite ways to cook ‘em up…

In order by degree of difficulty (my opinion, take it for what it’s worth)…

Hard boiled:

Completely submerge eggs in water in a pot (cover by about 1 inch).  Place the pot on the stove over high heat and bring water to a boil (we want bubbles, here).  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Immediately remove eggs from hot water and place in ice water until cooled (this step is important, it will make sure that the yolks aren’t that ugly greenish grey color on the edges).  Peel, eat.

*Great chopped up in salads, as a portable snack, a quick breakfast, a lazy dinner, etc.  You can make a lil’ deviled eggs appetizer too by scooping the yolks out adding ingredients like paprika, mayonnaise, avocado, etc then spooning the mixture back in.

Scrambled:

Beat eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper and some chopped herbs to taste.  Beat them until well mixed (you can add some whole milk if you’re into that).  Melt pasture butter, or heat ghee or cooking oil (olive/coconut) in a sauté pan on low-medium heat.  Pour eggs into the pan and gently fold them over alternating sides until just after they stop running.  (Key: NO high heat, and don’t overcook them)

*Great anytime.  You can also add meat or veggies into the scramble to balance the meal out…get creative.

Fried:

After cooking up some bacon, the pan should be hot and filled with rendered fat.  You can use this, butter, ghee, olive oil, or coconut oil.  Once the pan is hot, turn the heat just below medium.  Crack eggs gently into the pan.  Once the whites begin to set, loosen the eggs with a very thin spatula, and carefully turn them over.  For over-easy, let the other side cook for about 30 seconds then remove (a bit longer for over-medium). For sunny-side up, just cover the pan and let the steam cook the white through instead of flipping it.

*Fried eggs make dishes fancier.  Eat em for breakfast, throw them on top of a burger patty, or add one to your salad or veggies.  Everybody likes some hot, runny yolk.

Omeletted (I made that word up…you’re welcome)

Frittata:

See omelette.  Almost the same recipe…just use more eggs (eight or so makes a solid one).  Instead of flipping the omelette, let the edges set in the pan (something oven-safe), then throw it in the oven or under the broiler (keep a close eye on it) until the top is completely set and very slightly brown.  Cut it into pieces (like pie) to serve.

*Great leftovers for any meal.  You don’t have to eat them hot either; they taste great at room temperature.

Poached:

Bring water to a boil and then reduce the heat so that the boil isn’t all wild.  Gently crack egg/s into water and let them cook until the egg white is set (maybe 3-5 minutes).  Remove egg/s from the water with a slotted spoon, and try to drain off all water.

*Usually best on top of things like: grilled asparagus, salad, sausage patties, or hash (sweet potato is my favorite).

There are certainly other ways to make eggs, but this should keep you pretty busy for your next carton or two.  As far as shopping is concerned, opt for ‘organic’ and ‘pastured’.  Ignore the stuff like “Omega 3 Enhanced”.  All they do is feed the hen flax seed.  Not worth the extra dollar IMO.

Happy egg-eating!

The Paleo Cheater's Blues

Lately, I have been noticing that many friends/family members have become interested in changing the way that they eat and adopting new Paleo habits.  Most start out with some kind of Whole30/30 day-long (or 8 week-long for my CFLA peeps!) ‘experiment’ or ‘challenge’ type deal.  I have tried to provide some guidance and recipes and support, but I am finding that once they get through week one, they don’t even need it!  My friends and family are off and running with this stuff.  Apparently, Paleo is spreading and the results are addicting…

With any addiction though, the trouble comes after those challenge period ends.  After 30 days, Alexis and I became accustomed to taking weekly pictures and noticing positive differences on a weekly basis in our bodies, our health, and our performance.  Those changes fueled the fire and kept us loving the lifestyle.  When we decided to add in one ‘free’ day per week (kinda Tim Ferriss-esque), it snowballed at times.  An Umami burger for dinner on Friday night turned into pancakes and mimosas on Saturday morning, and so on…

What we found was that the freedom associated with coming off of the strict plans makes you feel out of control and, sometimes, super guilty. Kinda ironic that the stricter the plan, the more in-control I felt. Despite the fact that we all know that we are far better off than we were Pre-Paleo, slipping up or ‘cheating’ still feels like a major letdown. 

This post is to encourage all of the occasional Paleo-'cheaters' (for lack of a better word).  You are all still kickin’ ass.  Try to think in terms of progress towards a goal.  If your goal is better health and fitness, reflect on how much healthier you feel now than you felt Pre-Paleo (in spite of some ice cream now and then).  If your goal is six-pack abs or the perfect wedding dress body, just know that you are probably just one more 30 day challenge or so away (if even that long).  The majority of the WORLD is forced to sift through hundreds of diets and cleanses and Men’s/Women’s Health articles to find a way to accomplish their health and fitness goals…we know EXACTLY which levers we need to pull to feel and look great.  What more could we ask for???

So next time you opt for a gnarly dessert or too many IPAs after that meal of grass-fed beef with avocado and a raw kale salad, don’t let it bring you down.  You have come too far to let it bother you!  Just picture your life now vs day one of your Paleo quest, and feel proud of everything you have learned and accomplished for yourselves.

Drink me! It's okay!

On a side note, you should check out Tim Ferriss's book if you haven't already...some interesting stuff. 

 

It's Never "That Easy"

Everyday we are bombarded by articles or advice about how to improve…it could be my health, my finances, my performance at work, my “look”, my relationships…name a topic, someone is trying to help you improve it.  Most of this stuff has one common sentiment, despite the area of focus.  The theme is almost always something like this: “If you make these small changes, you will improve.”  What they seldom touch on though, is how much you will improve.  Good news for you all—I have that answer for you: Not much.  

39 pounds?! Fast?! I'm in!

The vast majority of advice that is circulated around this digital, information-rich world is catered to the Skinny Latte drinking, 45 minute Elliptical “running”, 401k contributing,  Match.com dating common-person.  We are all creatures of habit, and breaking habits is tough.  Most of us have read many-a-great article about cutting out the daily Starbucks and paying our savings account instead or eating that grapefruit first thing in the morning with hopes of being less hungry the rest of the day.  We common-people have tried to add these “tricks” into our bags in hopes of getting richer or skinnier or stronger or happier.  Despite our efforts though, 90% of the time, the little gems that the gurus hand out yield teeny, tiny actual changes. 

I am constantly hypnotized by advice.  I have actually fully adopted the practice of making my morning coffee at home to save that daily two bucks (to the dismay of my local Coffee Bean), and I have not noticed any extra money in my account at the end of each month…oh well.   

Where are the people that actually got wealthy by saving $5.75 on weekdays?  Anybody?

 It seems that little tricks = little action.  On the other hand, whenever I have made a BIG, dramatic change, the results have been (you probably guessed it) big and dramatic.  In the context of health and fitness, I have always been active and interested in operating at a high level.  For most of my life, I ate a relatively “healthy” diet of lean protein, some veggies and fruits, and plenty of whole wheat.  I worked out at least 3-4 times/week with a nice hour or so lift-a-thon followed by 30 minutes or so on the bike or treadmill.  I would incorporate little Men’s Health nuggets on food and workouts into my programs, and all-in-all I felt like I was in pretty good shape.  I was pretty convinced of the following: I was just not built to have visible abs, I would always hover around 200 lbs, and I was not really an endurance sports guy.   

Look at that Men's Health reading beefcake...thanks for the tips, guys.

These remained truths until I stumbled onto some BIG, dramatic changes in the ways that I approached fitness.

In the summer of 2008, I decided to do a triathlon with some friends.  This was my first attempt at any sporting event that required real endurance training…a big change for me.  Well, with big changes came big results.  As I trained more and more often for more races, I realized that I actually could be a sub-200 lb endurance athlete (I use the term “endurance athlete” pretttttttty loosely in this case). 

Wildflower Triathlon

The next change came with Crossfit.  In April 2010, I started training with CrossfitLA in West Los Angeles/Santa Monica.  Over a short period of six months or so, I gave my diet a complete overhaul (I learned what eating healthy really meant) and trained hard and fast.  The ever-elusive six-pack was now in play, and I was down to 185 lbs…all because I ditched the grains and the long, social, gym sessions. The changes didn’t happen slowly and gradually, they happened fast.  I moved on from the little tweaks here and there and graduated to the big leagues of progress. 

"The path to success is determined, massive action." -Tony Robbins

I now know that I can probably duplicate this kind of success in other areas of my life (and Lord knows, there are many more to tackle)…I just need to make the big, bad change that is required.  As much as we all like our advice columns, we have to avoid getting tricked into thinking that these little tips are the answer to meaningful progress in our lives.  If you really want to make a move, close up the laptop and take some massive action.

The Paleo Version of High Cholesterol

So far, we have established that eating a Paleo diet makes you feel better—although, most people feel worse initially as there are “withdrawal” symptoms when kicking processed foods...just a little disclaimer :-).  After just a month though, not a single person I have read about or spoken with has said that they did not feel great.  In fact, many vegetarians now eat Paleo and say that they feel far better and more energized than they felt previously. 

We have also established that people who eat Paleo end up looking leaner.  Just Google some before and after shots for proof.  Paleo diet plus exercise equals sexy lady bodies and stud man bodies.  Period.

The big question that remains, though, is around actual health.  Is this lifestyle actually healthy???  Can I really eat bacon, steaks, and vegetables every day to prevent disease and reduce major risk factors???  Instead of speculating or linking to studies and research studies…actually, I am going to do that, also…I decided to first share some of my “numbers” with you all. 

After several months of approximately 70% Paleo compliance, I decided to go full-on for one month: 

Almost immediately afterwards, I had some blood work done.  Specifically, I had some liver tests and a lipid panel (sound familiar, fellow Americans?).  Before I get to my results, let’s talk context.  We will look at: total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and VLDL.  According to the Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association:

-Total cholesterol number above 240 mg/dL is “High.” 

-LDL above 160 mg/dL is “High” (“Very High” is above 190). 

-HDL above 60 mg/dL is “Best”. 

*HDL is sometimes referred to as “Good Cholesterol” and LDL, “Bad Cholesterol.”

-VLDL is “Normal” between 5 and 40 mg/dL.

-Triclycerides above 200 mg/dL are “High” (“Very High” is above 500, “Normal” is less than 150 mg/dL).

My numbers:
-Total: 302 mg/dL (uh oh!- High!)

-LDL: 211 mg/dL (yikes!- Very High!)

-HDL: 78 mg/dL (wait, huh?- Better than "Best")

-VLDL: 13 mg/dL (Ok. -Normal)

-Triglycerides: 66 mg/dL (???- Super Low)

The parentheses represent my doctor’s thoughts when he reviewed my info.  His review phone call went something like this:

Doc: “So the results were really interesting…”

Me: “Like, how?”

Doc: “You have really high cholesterol, but I am kinda not too worried about it…”

Me: “Please explain…”

Doc: “Your ‘good cholesterol’ is higher than any patient I have, sooooo I guess the ratios would say that you are okay…what do you eat???”

Me: “Paleo, blah, blah, blah”

Doc: “Wow, that sounds like a lot of meat...ok, well your triglycerides and HDL look awesome, but I am gonna check with some older colleagues about your totals.  I think you are good, but let's do some follow ups because we may want to be aggressive with that total cholesterol number.”

Me: “Um, ok.  See you soon I guess. Bye?”

Why would one number be “Awesome” and another number be worthy of possible "aggressive medical attention" (drugs)?  I still don’t have those answers, and, funny enough, neither does my doctor.  But I have been finding quite a bit of interesting info about cholesterol and health since reviewing my test results.  

Apparently the “link” between high cholesterol and heart disease is not as simple as we’ve been told.  This "link" is based on carefully selected study data that disregards certain data sets from populations that don’t support the theory (for example- Australian Aboriginals, Eastern Europeans: low relative cholesterol, high rates of heart disease. Also, young Japanese men: increasing average cholesterol over the last 20 years…rate of heart disease has fallen.—from Malcolm Kendrick’s “The Great Cholesterol Myth”).

 
The more I read, the more I have trouble believing that my high total cholesterol is a problem.  I have actually found a lot of data suggesting that low cholesterol is actually quite dangerous!

So, at this point, I am questioning the merits of this “Cholesterol Epidemic” and the last thing I will do is take any kind of “aggressive” action (aka statin drug prescription) to fix something that doesn’t seem to be broken.  Next time you have your blood work done, think about investigating what these numbers really mean.  I feel like I have learned a lot.  I decided that I will really only ever be alarmed if my HDL gets low or if my triglycerides get high.

I’ll wrap this up with some interesting data. Lipitor (the most commonly prescribed statin for lowering cholesterol) accounts for $10 billion-a-year in revenue for Pfizer (NY Times, March 7 2011) with tens of millions of patients actively taking this drug.  With that many people on this miracle-drug (there are many others, too) designed to “aggressively” lower their cholesterol levels, the leading cause of death in the US is still--drum roll please--cardiovascular disease.  Either we haven't found the cure to this epidemic or it's one big misdiagnosis.  Maybe I’m better off sticking to the Paleo diet and embracing my high cholesterol.  

Here are some links to some interesting articles/materials on the subject:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/the-cholesterol-myth-that_b_676817.html 
http://thehealthyskeptic.org/cholesterol-doesnt-cause-heart-disease
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol/
The Cholesterol Myths: Exposing the Fallacy That Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart DiseaseThe Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It

5 Must-Have Ingredients to 'Paleo-ize' Your Meals

Almost everyday I read about some new ingredient to add to my fridge or pantry that can spice up meals without comprimise.  I am thankful that there are so many good people out there playing with recipes and coming up with gems that I can steal!  I decided to come up with a list of great kitchen items that don’t necessarily pop up on the rookies’ shopping list.  If you can get yourself familiar with a few of these, you will open up a much wider range of Paleo recipes.  I’ll include some suggestions for usage after each item.  Here we go (in no particular order)…

- Coconut milk

Okay, this one isn’t really THAT profound, but it makes the list because it is so incredibly versatile.  Use it for sauces (even gravy!), curries, coffee creamer, or even ice cream (all you need is an ice cream maker or a friend like me that has one).  Basically, when you would normally use milk or cream, try coconut milk.  As far as nutrition goes, it is loaded with good, healthy fat.  Remember, eating this will not make you fat...we embrace the good fat, and we look better for it (don't believe the 'low-fat' hype...stupid mainstream).

-Coconut flour

I just recently experimented with this one for the first time…again, super wide range of uses.  Use it to thicken a sauce (like corn starch), to bake (sub for regular flour), to “bread” fish or chicken, and in place of bread crumbs…I actually find this stuff to be more absorbant than the conventional stuff, so you seem to need to use less in recipes where you'd normally dump in flour or bread crumbs.  Again, since it’s all coconut, it's good for ya.

*Also try almond meal for a similar effect.  Adds a little more texture than the coconut flour.

 -Coconut aminos

You probably haven’t seen this stuff.  We have been tearing through bottles of this, because it is a GREAT soy sauce substitute that is far less processed and is not filled with nasty soy.  It tastes a bit milder, but has the same general profile as it’s Kikkoman brother.  Use however you would use soy sauce, duh.

-Spaghetti squash

Again, you may not have ever tried this chameleon of a squash, but if you have a nasty hankering for a pasta dish, this guy can help without the intense insulin spike and carb bombed gut that the flour and wheat brings.  This stuff actually looks like pasta after it’s prepared.  It tastes sorta like pasta, but once you add the sauce, the texture and the look of it makes for a perfect Italian knock-off.  Try this recipe.  Top with any sauce you'd like.

-Cauliflower

This one might be sitting in your refridgerator right now!  The key though, is how you prepare it.  Now you may think that your days of delicious mashed potatoes and fluffy white rice are behind you since you went Paleo…not so fast!  You can make cauliflower into nice subs for both of those tasty side dishes.  For rice, try this method from Nom Nom Paleo.  For a “mash” or puree, just steam the cauliflower florets.  When fork tender, puree them with some butter or some water from the steamer and seasoning until they are the desired texture.  You can try adding some coconut milk for creaminess, too (since you are well stocked now).  Cauliflower is also great roasted or grilled if you feel like changing things up.

So next time you go to the store for your typical meat and veggies, grab these things and start getting creative.  We made these fried chicken tenders last night with a coconut flour/almond meal crust…delicious.  Paleo soul-food!  Anything’s possible! 

Fried chicken tenders in coconut oil, breaded in coconut flour and almond meal with cauliflower puree and broccolini

Paleo Baked Goodness

 It is no secret that I love to cook.  On the other hand though, I’m pretty clueless when it comes to baking.  There are many Paleo-cooks out there that are pros at converting baked goods that are normally big ‘no’s for us into decent options that won’t spike insulin levels and aren’t loaded with sugar.  I am not one of these Paleo-cooks, but since I love a muffin or cake or biscuit as much as any guy, my lovely fiancé decided to do some work in the bake shop to surprise me last week.  With some magical ingredients and some recipe browsing, she managed to create some AWESOME biscuits.  In my opinion, as good or better than any I have ever had…guilt free!  So, naturally, I decided to share this recipe with you fine folks.  Here it is, courtesy of Ms Alexis Bessa, my resident baker!

 

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

3 eggs beaten

¼ cup coconut oil (melted, if purchased in solid form)

½ cup coconut flour

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon water

Handful of blueberries

Note about the ingredients: if you have never tried the two coconut products, head to any good market (Whole Foods has it all) and pick them up.  Coconut oil is a GREAT substitute for vegetable oils or olive oil if you are looking for a subtle flavor change.  The flour is just like regular flour except a bit more absorbent (you will often use less than you would regular).  We use it to ‘bread’ fish or chicken and also as a substitute for breadcrumbs in recipes.  Both of the products have very little coconut flavor.  Okay, back to the biscuits…

First, combine beaten eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until well incorporated with a whisk.

Next, gradually mix in the coconut flour and work into a dough.  Repeat until you have added all of the flour. 

Once the dough is established, add the berries and the water.  Mix with your hands.

Form into whatever size you’d like (keep them all uniform for even cooking), and place on a baking sheet covered in foil for easy cleanup.

Bake for about 15 minutes until starting to brown on the edges.

Enjoy with a drizzle of honey or butter or nothing at all if you’re staying strict!

Thanks, Alexis, for droppin’ some bakery knowledge on this Paleo kitchen :)

Chili!

One of my favorite days of the week is Sunday.  We get up early, make breakfast, workout, and head to our Farmer’s Market.  I LOVE the Farmer’s Market.  Since we order most of our produce and veggies from an organic produce delivery service (L.O.V.E. Delivery for you LA folks), we usually grab all of our meat, herbs, fruit, and whatever else looks good on Sundays at Farmer's.  The grass-fed, pastured meat from Rocky Canyon Farms is the best our market has to offer.  Not only is most of it half of the Whole Foods’ price, you get it straight from the farmer!  We have been stocking up, since we can easily go through a couple pounds of ground beef each week. 

One of my favorite ways to put this delicious ground beef to use is in chili.  I make a HUGE bowl of it and eat it alllll week (remember: leftovers are Paleo’s best friends).  This particular recipe was adapted from the obnoxious Food Network duo Pat and Gina Neely.  Good BBQ food, painfully bad cooking show (just my humble opinion…sorry Neely’s).  Anyways, here it is!

The Best Paleo Chili.

Ingredients:

·  4 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

·  4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·  2 medium onions, chopped (in case you have trouble chopping onion, I made a video to help you)

·  1 red bell pepper, chopped

·  1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

·  2 small jalepenos, seeded and chopped

·  3 tablespoons chili powder

·  1 tablespoon ground cumin

·  1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

·  2 teaspoons dried oregano

·  1 tablespoon smoked paprika

·  Approx ½ teaspoon cayenne (if you like it hot, go nuts)

·  Some cinnamon (less than a teaspoon)

·  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·  1 pound grass-fed ground beef

·  1 pound ground pork (organic or pastured, if available)

·  1 cup beer (recommended: any Chocolatey or Coffee Stout) **sub some beef stock for stricter Paleo.

·  1 (24-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

·  1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice

Spices

Chopped veggies

 Lots of ingredients, I know…but most are spices that will definitely be used in many future culinary endeavors, I promise.

First, put the bacon in a cold pot or Dutch oven with a little olive oil and turn heat to medium.  When bacon is near crisp and starting to brown, add all the chopped veggies and the spices and stir to mix.

Bacon browing

Veggies, spices, and bacon

Cook the veggies until they get soft and smell awesome.  Now add the beef, and break it up with spoon and stir until it starts to brown up.  Add the pork, and cook the entire mixture until both meats are no longer pink and are broken up nicely.

Veggies look good...add the meat!

Meat is browned and ready

Pour in the beer (or stock) and simmer for a few minutes.  I love a little chocolate/coffee flavor, so I use beer that lends a little bit of that.  Add crushed and diced tomatoes, and turn heat to low.  Simmer for an hour and a half or so stirring periodically.

In goes beer, then tomatoes

The payoff! With my favorite side salad: arugula, avocado, and red wine vinaigrette.

Eat it!  Box of the leftovers, then eat it again tomorrow for lunch!