Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Butter (because nothing quite tastes like butter)
2-3 cloves of Garlic-minced (you can also use garlic powder)


Melt Butter and Oil in a pan. Toast garlic until fragrant. Add in:


1 small bunch of broccoli florets


Add 1 Tbs of Water, cover and steam for ~5-7 minutes until broccoli is cooked through.


Add 1lb of shrimp (for 2 people) or substitute another lean protein, like diced chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes until done. Serve topped with cracked black peppercorn

Thai Lettuce Wraps w/ Cucumber Salad

*If you aren't allowing yourself peanut products (because of an allergy, or because they're a legume, you can leave them out and everything will still taste spectacular.)

 

For The Wraps:
Time to prepare: ~15-20 minutes

• 2 large lettuce leaves per person (I use iceberg, but romaine or bib would work too)
• 2 Tbs of Cooking Oil (For thai food, I love to start with Ziggy Marley's Coco'Mon coconut oil in ginger lemon)
• 2 Tbs julienned carrots
• 2 Tbs shredded cabbage
• ~ 1/2 tsp Garam Masala seasoning from my Curried Squash recipe
• 1/2 tsp honey(or to taste)
• 2 Tbs cashews or peanuts
• 1 Chicken Breast per person, diced
• 1 Tbs Chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs Chopped Basil

Melt the oil in a large skillet. Add seasoning and sautee til fragrant. Add in honey, nuts, carrots, and cabbage. Cook for 1 minute to start veggies to soften. Add chicken, Coat in sauce (which is oily to keep it from sticking to the pan) and cover, letting it steam, stirring occasionally until cooked thoroughly. Lay out your leaves on a plate, 2 leaves deep to help with tearing issues. Pile Thai chicken in the center and garnish with basil and cilantro. Wrap it up and devour!


Cucumber Salad
Time to prepare: ~5-10 minutes. I prepared this while the oil was heating and while the chicken was coking. it was finished before I filled my wraps

• 2 cucumbers, spiraled or slices (I spiral mine on basically an apple-corer-peeler-slicer)
• 1 Tbs peanut butter- melted
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (I keep this in the cupboard because I love Asian cooking)
• 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Toss all ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also use this sauce for "Asian slaw" with cabbage and carrots

Numbers

I had a health screening today, and spent a large part of the afternoon freaking out about some of the numbers.




Height- 5'6"
Weight- 125lbs
BMI (height/weight ratio)- 20.5 (should be between 18.5 and 24.9)
Body Fat- 25% (should be between 21% and 31%)


Blood Sugars(fasting)(should be 70-105--> mine is 107)
*Update July: My mother-in-law is a dietician and diabetes specialist so she set me up with my very own accucheck nano blood glucose meter. my most recent fasting reading was a 94!


HDL=good cholesterol (should be over 40--> mine is 81)
LDL= bad cholesterol (should be under 130--> mine is 87)
Triglycerides= basically blood fat (should be under 150--> mine is 186)


Total Cholesterol= LDL + HDL + 20% Triglycerides (should be under 200--> mine is 205)
*Because my HDL (good) is really high, my overall cholesterol number isn't really indicative of my cholesterol health. If my HDL were less awesome, my total cholesterol would be normal.


HDL Ratio (Heart Risk)= Total/HDL (should be less than 5:1, ideally 3.5:1 --> mine is 2.5:1)




After much reading, and discussion, I understand that almost all of my numbers are perfect. Even my Overall cholesterol, when viewed as a heart risk ratio and acknowledging my kick-ass HDL cholesterol is actually very good. So when we narrow down what my bad numbers actually are, an elevated level of triglycerides and blood sugars is an indicator that I could be at risk for diabetes, or that my pancreas isn't functioning as well as it could.


What to do about it?

• Get a second opinion- having the tests done again will assure that these numbers are consistently bad.
• Up Omega 3s which lower triglyceride levels and are great for inflammation in the body too. I have good blood pressure and am not on blood thinners, so supplementing with these essential fatty acids that our body doesn't make (we get them from food) can only be helpful with my current situation. Also great for skin and hair! I am supplementing my omega-3s with krill oil which is less fishy than fish oil!
• Eat more pancreatic-friendly foods: antioxidant rich foods (like blueberries and cherries and cacao!!!) and allium rich foods (like garlic and onions) help with healthy pancreatic function

Salmon over spinach salad

*Purchase same day salmon
Time to prepare: 10-15 minutes

 

• Salt & Pepper
• 2Tbs black walnut oil
• 1 Salmon fillet per person
• Baby Spinach
• Crushed Walnuts
• Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 c Olive Oil
• 1/4 c Unsweetened Grape Juice
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Oregano, garlic, thyme, etc)

1. Prepare the salad of baby spinach topped with crushed walnuts and cranberries.
2. Prepare vinaigrette by mixing olive oil with grape juice and Italian seasoning.
3. Heat walnut oil in a large skillet. The flavor of the black walnut oil will neutralize the fishy tendency of the salmon.
4. Dry off salmon with a paper towel. Salt and Pepper both sides. Place in pan and cook approx. 4 min per side.
5. Remove place over prepared salad. Dress before serving.

Crab Cakes

Time to prepare: ~25 minutes

• 1 small container of jumbo lump or special mix crab meat
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 Tbs Almond Flour

Mix ingredients until fully coated. Shape fist-sized crab cakes, compressing with hands and squeezing out excess fluid. Makes 3 medium- 2 large crab cakes. Place on a baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400*F. Serve over greens with a poached egg and a dusting of cayenne pepper.


*Baking will allow these to cook fully and hold their shape better than sautee-ing in a pan will

Chicken Soup

This is a fast and easy chicken soup that serves 4. We eat half and freeze half.


2 Stalks Celery, chopped
1-2 Carrots, sliced
1/2 Onion, diced
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 Carton Organic Chicken Stock (read ingredients labels)
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts- diced
Salt to taste
2 Stalks Bok Choy (flavor of turnip, texture of celery)


In Medium saucepan, sautee carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper. In a separate sautee pan, pre-cook chicken. When onions are translucent, pour chicken stock over veggies and stir. Simmer for approx. 10-20 minutes. Add Chicken and bok choy before serving.

Almond Flour Waffles

I adapted this recipe from Taylor Made It Paleo


3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3 Tbs Honey


3 egg yolks (*keep the whites)
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nut butter- I used hemp butter. Soak your nuts/seeds with boiling water for approx. 30 minutes before blending.
1 tsp vanilla


1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon, to taste


3 eggs whites- beaten til stiff



-I always begin by melting my coconut solids in a saucepan. Since I use a lot of raw honey, I add that to the pan too. Heat until melted but do not boil.
-Mix ALL wet ingredients except whites in a mixer (egg yolks, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, honey, and nut butter).
-With the mixer on, blend in almond flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
-Fold in the beaten egg whites. Most recipes tell you not to overmix your egg whites. I say "to hell with that!" Whisk in your egg whites until the mixture is fully incorporated. If you don't, you're going to have random sections of cooked egg white in your waffles. They will still come out fluffy, I promise.
-Spray down your waffle iron, I use a misto spray bottle filled with olive oil. Cook waffles following waffle iron instructions (Mine has a light that indicates when they are done). These waffles tend to stick so I like to use a chopstick to help remove waffles from the iron.


Drizzle with topping of your choice: Butter/Ghee, Maple Syrup (not GAPS), Honey melted with cinnamon, reduced fruit juice, fresh fruit or fruit puree.
* These waffles aren't super sweet so I recommend toppings.