Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Paleo Power Balls

Soak 15 dates in
1/2c hot water.
Add 2T honey,
1T coconut oil
and 1 tsp vanilla.
In blender add 1/3c cocoa,
1/3c organic flax seed meal,
1/3 c coconut flour,
2T chia seed,
2T sunflower seeds,
2T almond butter and
1 c ground walnut meal.
Mix in date liquid and then scoop out tablespoon balls and roll into coconut flakes.
Bake 350F for 20 minutes.

G-F, Sugar Free, Paleo-ish Winter Squash Muffins

2-3 C pumpkin or winter squash puree (I baked the squash the night before, then scooped out meat into the blender).
1 C coconut oil
4 eggs 
1 tsp real vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 C honey
1 C walnut meal/flour
1 C coconut flour
1 C raisins
3/4 C walnuts
* 1/2 C equal for baking-- I was afraid these would not be sweet enough, but ended up almost too sweet! The next time I make them I will leave out the equal to see how it works and that should make them truly paleo.

The consistency was very thick so the muffins did not rise at all but they were no that dense either. The raisins certainly add to the sweetness! They made the perfect breakfast with my coffee this morning.

Paleo Chicken Salad

Palo Mayo whipped first--
1/2 C olive oil
1 egg yoke
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt,  
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 lemon squeezed

1 lb chicken breast (from Costco, precooked in a bag)
1/2 celery bunch sliced
1/2 C pineapple chunks
1 small onion chopped
1 bunch kale leaves

I tossed it all into the Ninja and mixed it for 30 seconds. 
Delicious.

I'm convinced.

It'll be a month of eating paleo at the end of this week. I've cheated a few times and each time I've fudged things, I've felt it either with a head ache or an upset stomach or worse. I have yet to lose one pound on this diet but I feel that with time, I will. I feel lighter-- not as bloated or puffy-- yet at the same time I am rarely hungry even when I feel "empty." It's a different feeling than I'm used to. It's like I know everything has passed through. I feel good throughout the work day, not like I want to take a nap. I come home tired and eager to go to bed, but I'm not sleepy during the day time anymore. 

After one month, I am supposed to introduce foods, one at time, every three days. There are a few foods I am eager to introduce-- butter for scrambled eggs will be number 1 and yogurt may be number 2, just because I think it has some good health benefits. But I've learned to live without creme in my coffee and now that Starbucks sells coconut milk for my latte, I'm in coffee heaven again (yes, I know there's a bit of sugar in there, so I only splurge once a week). I'm amazed that I'm not craving anything else. My sweet tooth is satisfied with fresh and dried fruit, and some honey in my tea occasionally, so there's never a need to cheat. 

As for my Tuesday, I took Balt to daycare today so that I could stay after school to work with editors to finish and send pages for our deadline. We needed to send 45, I sent 50. The 14 pages that were due on Thursday were also sent today. 108 pages of our 224 page yearbook is all ready for print-- that's just about 1/2 way done. The 50 pages I sent today will come back in a couple weeks in need of proofing. That only leaves 66 pages left to make--  16 of those can wait until May 9th. It was a huge relief to get those all sent today after school. I'm already looking forward to the big celebration we're going to have when the book comes in. I can't wait!

Sunday Paleo Quiche

I used to love to make quiche on Sunday mornings for my family but now I am cooking for one. I used 1/2 slice of bacon for crust. I sauted onion, garlic, zuccini, celery and cauliflower in avocado oil and filled king size muffin tins about 1/4 of the way with the vegetable. I mixed ten eggs with 1/4 cup of almond milk and 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper, paprika and oregano. I poured the egg mixed into the pans and baked at 350f for 1/2 hour. Delicious! I have 4 left for the week now for a quick breakfast.

I did not walk Balt today, it was just too cold. I broke in my new shoes on the tread mill this morning and then took Balt to the dog park for a bit of wandering. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items and ended up spending $100! Eating healthy is expensive! I came home and made chicken soup, gluten free cookies to send to Monika and another batch of paleo granola. I built a big fire, fell asleep watching a Netflix movie and then watched the SNL special. Of course at 8pm, I'll switch over to Downton Abby. It is the best way to end the weekend. 

Death and Taxes

It was a ho-hum Sunday with nothing planned. My body ached from a week of P90, trying out a bit of running and a hot yoga class last night. Other than a walk with Balt, I did very little activity, opting to nap for part of my afternoon. I did do both Erika's and Monika's taxes which is something. I would have liked to have done Jessi's as well, but she has yet to get me her W2. I've been doing my own taxes since my first job at 18 and although I've had a few years where I have mucked them up, it is getting easier. I hope someday to offer to do my parents' as well as my children's!

Erika had to work today, so it was fun to see her off and greet her home. I made a wonderful Paleo breakfast for her, eggs, sausage and berries as well as a dinner of steak and salad for the two of us. She very much enjoys my efforts for healthy eating. I am actually enjoying learning to eat without sugar, grains or dairy. I found a hazelnut milk that, with a bit of honey makes my morning coffee just as delicious. Avocado instead of cheese has been a welcome change to my salads. I have not felt one bit deprived. I lost a pound last week, which isn't much, but I've eaten heartily.

The most exciting thing I did this afternoon was book two nights at Bryce Canyon at the beginning of my spring break. I am excited to get some hiking and photos taken. I'm hoping for good weather. And my big excitement for the evening was watching Downton Abby. I've started watching the British Baking Show before it in anticipation. 

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.--Benjamin Franklin

Warm Wisconsin Winter Day

It was a beautiful Saturday with a high of 37! I had a wonderfully leisure morning with a fire and coffee, watching the news, packing Valentine's boxes for the girls. I finally got out to walk with Balt and it was quite pleasant. I tried to keep our pace quick. I'll need to transition to interval jogging. I want to train with Balt. He's getting better at keeping at a steady pace. 

I did some running shoe shopping. I'm looking for something to help keep plantars fasciitis away. My first jog on the tread mill was not so good. I went to a bikram hot yoga finally after a couple of months of doing flow classes. It was an amazing class, but so difficult and so much hotter. It was good to be back. 

I spent an hour catching up with an old friend this afternoon and another hour chatting with my in the evening. I made some more beet juice for the week. I had eggs and sausage for breakfast, snacked on my paleo granola and carrots throughout the day and made a big salad with avocado and chicken for dinner.

Paleo Granola

This is only my second batch of paleo granola but I can tell that as I continue to change my eating habits, keeping this stuff on hand is going to keep me from wanting to cheat! I burnt the last batch because the recipe asked to keep it in the oven for 2 hours. I've seen a couple of recipes that have granola slowly baking for 24 hours! This one is in the oven only for 25 minutes at 275F. 

1C Almonds
1C Cashews
1/4C Pumpkin Seeds
1C Dates
1/2C Coconut flakes
    >chop together in a blender (I used the Ninja).
1/4C Coconut oil 
1/2C Honey
1tsp Vanilla
    >heat together in the microwave

Mix in the hot liquid with chopped nuts. Spread on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. When cool, you can add more dried fruit, I'm going to add some dried blueberries I got at Costco. 

No Excuses

I started toying with the idea of signing up to do the Madison 1/2 marathon when a fellow teacher asked me to run it with her but quite honestly, I was afraid. I knew I'd need to train, but I was afraid of getting hurt, afraid of dropping the ball, afraid of being the last one to come in. For two weeks I've been thinking about it, knowing it would not be something I'd be able to do easily. I mentioned it to another teacher, and she told me to stop making excuses, just do it, so I did. I signed up today-- $75 that the worse case scenario is that I just don't do it, but I will. I'll be slow but I'll finish.

It was a very low key Wednesday, cold but sunny. I was too sore to do my P90 workout early this morning so I took a break and did it after school instead. I still got a walk in with Balt before and after school. I had bacon and eggs for breakfast for the first time in years. It feels a bit crazy to have bacon on a diet. I had celery with hazelnut butter and a couple of oranges for lunch and chicken with cauliflower rice for dinner.

More Snow!

I got up early this morning to get my workout in but I have to say, I'm so sore and have a crique in my neck! I stepped up the P90 from the B cd to the C cd and it's kicking my ass. All the shoveling (I'm not doing a ton as I live in a condo) is also a factor, I'm sure. Balt loves the snow and wants to be outside and loves walking but between the cold and my soreness, we haven't walked enough for him. 

I finished both the student newspaper and the parent news letter today. The next big deadline is in 3 weeks so I can sigh a bit of relief for a little while. This evening was the 8th grade elective presentation so as soon after getting home and walking Balt, I warmed up some leftover stew and then got back to work. It made for a 12 hour work day with Josh and Grace (see Josh below).

For my third Paleo diet day, I'm surviving quite well-- scramble eggs for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch, an orange for a snack, leftover stew for dinner and mineral water as a treat late in the day. I burned my tropical granola last night, but I still had some because I was craving cereal so much. Even with the long hours and the sore muscles, I feel a bit clearer-- just a bit -- but not lighter, not yet.

Ground Hog's Day

A local ground hog made the national news today by biting the ear of the Sun Prairie mayor (a nearby town to Madison). The mayor announced it would be an early spring but here in Madison, the sun was shining this morning so the mayor had gotten it wrong so that there should be 6 more weeks of winter. Instead of apologizing, the mayor claimed only he can translate a groundhog and it told him he was breaking from tradition-- politics. As for the weather, we are in for more cold and more snow. Winter has finally got here and I have a feeling it'll be around for a while.

We had a regular Monday at school. I had kids working on projects all day (below are my kids working on cast rings in metals). We are still working on the paper, trying to add a few more last minute articles and photos from the musical. I worked on the parent newsletter during my prep time. I stayed late after school working on the paper again. Hopefully it will get finished tomorrow.

I came home to an eager Balt but it was so cold, I cut our walk short. I did get up early this morning to get my P90 workout in, more shoveling and a regular mile walk in but because of all the shoveling I had done, I was quite sore this afternoon. Even though it said it was 11 degrees, the wind chills made it colder. I snap-chatted a pic to Monika with the temps and sure enough she snapped me a pic back-- 82 degrees in Southern California!! Oh, I can't wait to spend my winters there again!!

I ended up taking Balt to a field so he could walk around outside leisurely while I sat in a running car with the heat on. He sauntered around for 15 minutes and finally got cold enough to come back in. I went grocery shopping late and picked up a lot of food I normally don't buy, like bacon, and had to pass up a lot of foods I'm used to getting, like rice cakes and corn chips. For my second Paleo day, it wasn't so bad-- eggs for breakfast, celery and carrots for lunch, and chicken with cabbage for dinner. Raisins and almonds have kept me from needing to cheat, but I've refrained from eating too many. I found a paleo friendly tropical granola mix to bake and I can't wait to have some for lunch tomorrow!

 

Let It Snow!!

I got out my snow pants for the first time this winter! Madison finally got a bit of substantial snowfall-- storm totals have ranged from 7 to10 inches. Balt was thrilled. It was 19 this morning but as the day continued I could see it would just get colder so Balt and I started the day early and were out walking early. As the day continued wind chills whipped up and made things even colder (like -10). We had to walk in the street since the side walks were not shoveled. I shoveled my walkway 3 different times so between the walk in deep snow and the shoveling I feel that I got some good high intensity interval training in!

Well, I spent some time last night and this morning reading The Paleo Cure and have decided to give it a go. The first 30 days is a bit of a cleanse -- no sugar or sweeteners of any kind, no gluten or any other grains, no seed oils, no dairy, no legumes, no peanuts, no potatoes. I've given up gluten and feel loads better but I've replace wheat with corn, oats and rice. I feel kind of addicted to corn especially. I had a cheese-less omelette for breakfast and made beef stew with parsnips instead of potatoes for a late lunch and it was quite tasty. Because of my pre-diabetic status, I'm supposed to keep the fruit and starchy vegetables down to only 3-4 servings a day, everything else I can eat all I want of. Basically, it's the Adkins diet-- tons of meat and fat, only no cheese or butter and more vegetables. It's not really about limiting carbohydrates, but rather eating nutrients. I'm not really as interested in the chemistry, but I understand that it is what makes one sick. Having given up gluten for over 6 month, I can really feel a difference now. If I eat a bit of gluten, I get bloated and quite honestly, I'm afraid to eat too much gluten because I have found it makes me sick. I may not have celiac disease but I'm certainly gluten sensitive. I have noticed that although inflammation in my feet, hands and face has diminished since going gluten-free, I can still feel inflammation, so I know I have a sensitivity of some sort still to find. I hoping it's grain based and not dairy based. After 30 days of eating purely Paleo, then certain foods are introduced slowly, I think. I haven't read that chapter yet.

I must say I had one of the most productive Sundays ever. I started the morning early with some exercise and after shoveling and walking, I sat by the fire and worked on bill paying then got to working on my taxes after another session of shoveling. I actually finished and filed electronically. It's the first time I've done my taxes as the head of my own household, so it was a bit easier. Not as many dependents, not as many forms, not as many deductions but I was thrilled to know I'll be getting a bit back. The goal is always not to have to pay! After the taxes, I made my beef stew and then got to work on the student newspaper. I have to find a student to help with layout and I realized that I have a couple of new aids this semester with the skills to be able to do it but I still got it almost complete. I'm ready to put everything away and watch Downton Abby!!