My dad was joking with me about "Paleo Gone Bad;" he had sent me an article about some cultures eating dogs :( A couple of days later, I came across this article about "Nutritional Cannibalism!" Now that's Paleo Gone Bad. I didn't find it shocking, personally; I think it makes sense that our ancestors would resort to eating each other to survive, right?
Not a new article, but I found this to be an easy read for a lay person such as myself. I keep seeing over and over again that statins are useless for women...
I thought this Getting Started guide over at Cave Girl 101 was great! I had read Cheryl's story of her health crisis and recovery on robbwolf.com, and was happy to see she started her own site; I find it helpful to get a peek into the trials and tribulations of the other newbies out there.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (lolz) has deemed The Primal Bluebrint Cookbook one of the unhealthiest cookbooks of the year! PCRM's shitlist seems to be making its rounds around the web; hopefully there is indeed no such thing as bad publicity... A year or two ago, when the Matrix still had me, I myself probably would've read the article and steered clear of the PB, because the name of their organization sounds authoritative, and well, responsible. Maybe they should change their name to the "Vegan Physicians Committee for Anti-Meat Agendas," ya know, for some transparency.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The Double Down *Repost*
Another post from the old site. Stay tuned for the cow version!
Inspired by Free The Animal's take on the infamous Double Down "Sandwich," I've decided to make a version, too. And it was GOOD! I did try the original fried version at KFC (in my former life, I was an unrepentant KFC addict; I now treat myself to fast food once a month or so), just for novelty's sake; it was delicious, but could've turned into a dangerous habit, so a homemade version was in order.
For 2 Servings:
2 boneless, skinless ckicken breasts
4 strips crispy bacon (I like it best baked at 350 for about 20 mins)
2 slices of your favorite real cheese (I used havarti)
Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
Honey Mustard Sauce (also a delicious salad dressing)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TBS dijon mustard
2 TBS raw organic honey
2 TBS raw apple cider vinegar
2 tsp mayonnaise (ideally homemade with some good oil, but I used Olive Oil Hellman's)
salt & pepper
For the sauce:
Blend
together everything until smooth. This will make enough for your chicken, plus a few salads.
Time to double down!
-Take your chicken breasts and carefully cut them in half crosswise, season both sides with Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning.
-Lay the chicken pieces down on a heated Foreman Grill
(you could make them on the stovetop, but the Foreman is perfect for this task if you have one); cook for a minute on each side (my top plate is a little hot, so I usually flip whatever I'm grilling)
-Top two of the four chicken pieces with bacon, cheese, and some honey mustard
-Lay the other pieces of chicken on top, bring the grill top back down, and cook for about a minute more until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through
-Serve with something other than fake mashed potatoes (I sliced and baked a sweet potato), and enjoy!
Inspired by Free The Animal's take on the infamous Double Down "Sandwich," I've decided to make a version, too. And it was GOOD! I did try the original fried version at KFC (in my former life, I was an unrepentant KFC addict; I now treat myself to fast food once a month or so), just for novelty's sake; it was delicious, but could've turned into a dangerous habit, so a homemade version was in order.
For 2 Servings:
2 boneless, skinless ckicken breasts
4 strips crispy bacon (I like it best baked at 350 for about 20 mins)
2 slices of your favorite real cheese (I used havarti)
Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
Honey Mustard Sauce (also a delicious salad dressing)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 TBS dijon mustard
2 TBS raw organic honey
2 TBS raw apple cider vinegar
2 tsp mayonnaise (ideally homemade with some good oil, but I used Olive Oil Hellman's)
salt & pepper
For the sauce:
Blend
together everything until smooth. This will make enough for your chicken, plus a few salads.Time to double down!
-Take your chicken breasts and carefully cut them in half crosswise, season both sides with Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning.
-Lay the chicken pieces down on a heated Foreman Grill
(you could make them on the stovetop, but the Foreman is perfect for this task if you have one); cook for a minute on each side (my top plate is a little hot, so I usually flip whatever I'm grilling)-Top two of the four chicken pieces with bacon, cheese, and some honey mustard
-Lay the other pieces of chicken on top, bring the grill top back down, and cook for about a minute more until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through
-Serve with something other than fake mashed potatoes (I sliced and baked a sweet potato), and enjoy!
Not the most attractive pic, sorry :( On my
first attempt, I didn't cut the chicken
all the way thru- I just butterflied it,
and that made things difficult!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Fuzzy Food Porn
Sorry, here are some more food pics taken with my crappy camera phone, under crappy office light. The Food Porn equivalent of scrambled Cinemax.
Burger topped with bacon and some cheddar (NO LOW-FAT or FAT-FREE cheese! It's like kissing your sister) along with some broccoli sautéed in ghee
with some garlic.
with some garlic.
A Big-Ass Salad with rare seared tuna (just a minute or so on each side), tomatoes, and boiled egg over a mixture of spring mix and romaine. Dressing was raw apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, a little chopped garlic, a smidge of honey, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.
This was breakfast the other day! Pancakes inspired by this recipe but I do one egg per banana, and also added a few tablespoons of coconut flour, and half a tsp of baking soda; I found these tweaks made them a lot easier to flip. I cooked them in ghee (or coconut oil
would be great) at a medium-low heat, then topped them with some whipped cream and some berries. NOM!
(or coconut oil would be great) at a medium-low heat, then topped them with some whipped cream and some berries. NOM!Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Warrior Dash is Coming to Town!
A couple months after completing my first Warrior Dash in Quarryville, PA, I am still super excited that the race will be coming to my previously lame hometown area (specifically, to Budd's Creek in Southern Maryland). With all the hassle excitement of moving over the last couple of weeks, training has been put on the backburner, and that's totally fine. While exercise needs to be a priority (especially when preparing for an event- I'm still planning on next year's Tough Mudder), life gets in the way, and rest is important; it is said that recovery is as important as the workout. When the shit hits the fan, take a week off from working out (or even two!); no big whoop. You may even find that you are even stronger than before- I did a half-mile jog to warm up, as opposed to my usual quarter-mile, and was swinging around a heavier kettlebell than my norm, yay! As an added bonus, my pants were feeling pretty loose yesterday; I guess an extended rest (along with reduced carbs) did me good.
Emerging triumphant-ish!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
No, it's not deja vu; I'm bringing some posts over from the old site, so I can get rid of it (I am doing that because I remember how annoying it was to come up with a super URL, only to find it was taken by a dead blog.) I'm also making some tweaks here and there, in order to keep things aligned to my ever-evolving philosophies (never stop learning, kids!).
Breakfast. The most important meal of the day, right? Maybe, but definitely not in the way that's been pounded our heads by Conventional Wisdom (e.g." Eat as soon as you wake up, hungry or not!" "Eat cereal and fat-free milk!"). If you're having breakfast, don't start off by shoveling english muffins and waffles (even whole grain) down the 'ol gullet. This is the time we are setting our intentions for the new day, so let’s start off on a positive note, shall we? I sometimes like to do this by having a smoothie for breakfast; I’ve been doing this for about a year and I absolutely swear by it, especially in the warmer months (today was a bacon & eggs kind of morning!). I hopped on the smoothie train after I began following Kimberly Snyder’s Health and Beauty Blog. She drinks a green smoothie every day for breakfast, and I personally think she is the absolute picture of health. Kim is a nutritionist/raw food chef, among other things, and her website really got me interested in real food.
The smoothie is a kinder, gentler way to start the day because it’s easily and quickly digested, and you’ll be amazed how long it keeps you full! I used to typically eat a breakfast sandwich, a yogurt, and probably some hash browns, and would want more just a couple hours later. In ten minutes, I can make enough for 2 or 3 meals, and it’s easy to transport, so you can have breakfast anywhere; it doesn’t get any better than that! *I do get organic fruit when possible, and I really try to get organic spinach as it tends to have a lot of pesticide residue.*
I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it! My coworkers sometimes poke fun at my crazy green drinks; little do they know how delicious it is :) It almost tastes like it should have a shot of rum in it, please resist the urge! I usually like to keep my smoothies pretty simple, but I feel there’s something special about including the coconut; doing the work of opening the coconut and getting all the good stuff out of it makes me feel a connection with the food, and really grateful for all the cool stuff that is available in nature.
A little more about our friend Mr. Coconut- I love to use coconut products because they are rich in healthy fats (yes, artery-clogging saturated fat), and this recipe also includes coconut water, which is full of electrolytes. It’s like nature’s Gatorade! You can buy coconut water commercially, which is great, but it is pasteurized and doesn’t quite compare to what you get from an actual coconut. I find it to be a bit sweet to drink straight, but it’s a great addition to this smoothie because it can help us rehydrate after a good night’s sleep.
Here’s what you need for about 3 servings:
1 young Thai coconut (this is not the brown kind, but the funky looking white kind with the pointy top. I am able to find these in the produce section of Shoppers’)
1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
1 cup mango chunks, fresh or frozen
1 banana
A few big handfuls of baby spinach
Juice of half a lemon
Cold filtered water
-Open the coconut! Let’s start with the fun part. There are a few ways to do this, and I find this to be pretty easy:
-Turn the coconut on its side, and using a large knife, carefully shave some husky stuff off the pointed end.
-You might do this in a couple passes; you’ll see some light brown markings on the coconut when you’ve gone far enough.
-Turn the coconut right side up, take a cleaver (or a machete if you happen to have one) and bring it down hard a couple inches away from the center so the corner of the blade pierces the coconut
-Do kind of a twisting/lifting motion with your wrist. The top should lift off in a nice little circle.
-Pour the coconut water into a medium mixing bowl (or your blender jar; I used a stick blender), scrape the meat out with a spoon, and add that in
-Then just add the rest of the ingredients. Thawing frozen fruit a little may be a good idea, so you don’t risk burning up your blender.
-If needed, add some cold water just until your other ingredients are almost covered; maybe just ½ a cup or so; then blend till smooth! Maybe add a little umbrella, and enjoy!
Breakfast. The most important meal of the day, right? Maybe, but definitely not in the way that's been pounded our heads by Conventional Wisdom (e.g." Eat as soon as you wake up, hungry or not!" "Eat cereal and fat-free milk!"). If you're having breakfast, don't start off by shoveling english muffins and waffles (even whole grain) down the 'ol gullet. This is the time we are setting our intentions for the new day, so let’s start off on a positive note, shall we? I sometimes like to do this by having a smoothie for breakfast; I’ve been doing this for about a year and I absolutely swear by it, especially in the warmer months (today was a bacon & eggs kind of morning!). I hopped on the smoothie train after I began following Kimberly Snyder’s Health and Beauty Blog. She drinks a green smoothie every day for breakfast, and I personally think she is the absolute picture of health. Kim is a nutritionist/raw food chef, among other things, and her website really got me interested in real food.
The smoothie is a kinder, gentler way to start the day because it’s easily and quickly digested, and you’ll be amazed how long it keeps you full! I used to typically eat a breakfast sandwich, a yogurt, and probably some hash browns, and would want more just a couple hours later. In ten minutes, I can make enough for 2 or 3 meals, and it’s easy to transport, so you can have breakfast anywhere; it doesn’t get any better than that! *I do get organic fruit when possible, and I really try to get organic spinach as it tends to have a lot of pesticide residue.*
I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it! My coworkers sometimes poke fun at my crazy green drinks; little do they know how delicious it is :) It almost tastes like it should have a shot of rum in it, please resist the urge! I usually like to keep my smoothies pretty simple, but I feel there’s something special about including the coconut; doing the work of opening the coconut and getting all the good stuff out of it makes me feel a connection with the food, and really grateful for all the cool stuff that is available in nature.
A little more about our friend Mr. Coconut- I love to use coconut products because they are rich in healthy fats (yes, artery-clogging saturated fat), and this recipe also includes coconut water, which is full of electrolytes. It’s like nature’s Gatorade! You can buy coconut water commercially, which is great, but it is pasteurized and doesn’t quite compare to what you get from an actual coconut. I find it to be a bit sweet to drink straight, but it’s a great addition to this smoothie because it can help us rehydrate after a good night’s sleep.
Here’s what you need for about 3 servings:
1 young Thai coconut (this is not the brown kind, but the funky looking white kind with the pointy top. I am able to find these in the produce section of Shoppers’)
1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
1 cup mango chunks, fresh or frozen
1 banana
A few big handfuls of baby spinach
Juice of half a lemon
Cold filtered water
-Open the coconut! Let’s start with the fun part. There are a few ways to do this, and I find this to be pretty easy:
-Turn the coconut on its side, and using a large knife, carefully shave some husky stuff off the pointed end.
-You might do this in a couple passes; you’ll see some light brown markings on the coconut when you’ve gone far enough.
-Turn the coconut right side up, take a cleaver (or a machete if you happen to have one) and bring it down hard a couple inches away from the center so the corner of the blade pierces the coconut
-Do kind of a twisting/lifting motion with your wrist. The top should lift off in a nice little circle.
-Pour the coconut water into a medium mixing bowl (or your blender jar; I used a stick blender), scrape the meat out with a spoon, and add that in
-Then just add the rest of the ingredients. Thawing frozen fruit a little may be a good idea, so you don’t risk burning up your blender.
-If needed, add some cold water just until your other ingredients are almost covered; maybe just ½ a cup or so; then blend till smooth! Maybe add a little umbrella, and enjoy!
Friday, December 10, 2010
My new place!
I recently moved into a new house, and I discovered a more-fun blog name, so I thought it would be fitting to move to a new site! I do intend to post to this thing regularly from now on (and maybe generate some more traffic in the process). I'm pretty stoked to be taking a Human Evolution & Ecology class this upcoming semester; I know what I am doing is working, and I want to have a deeper understanding of the science behind it, so this will be a good start.
I've also applied for an internship with John Durant of hunter-gatherer.com, and am anxiously waiting to hear back about that. I saw his interview on The Colbert Report, and he seemed like a cool dude, so I'd be thrilled to get to work with him; he's currently working on a book and is seeking assistance with research and website stuff. I'm guessing there are quite a few hopefuls, but I'd be remiss not to give it a shot!
Another new development is... I skipped breakfast today! Yes, I'm giving Intermittent Fasting (IF) a try. I'm working on dropping some body fat, and this is a great way to kick it up a notch. I've been seeing a lot of great stuff about Martin Berkhan and his Leangains protocol, and while I don't forsee skipping breakfast on a daily basis at this point, I do intend to make it a point to skip a couple meals a week. Obviously this flies in the face of Conventional Wisdom, which commands that we eat every few hours to keep the metabolism going and avoid blood sugar crashes, muscle loss, etc. I used to eat that way, and I did need to, because I was eating crap food. When you eat crap food, of course your blood sugar is all over the place! Since shifting to a more paleo-esque diet, I rarely feel the need to snack, and I often feel like I could skip dinner all together. The idea of occasionally skipping meals feels much more intuitive to me, because I believe our ancestors probably didn't have a steady stream of food available at all times; it was likely more feast and famine. Eat nutritionally dense foods, and you may be surprised that you no longer feel the need to graze all day!
I've also applied for an internship with John Durant of hunter-gatherer.com, and am anxiously waiting to hear back about that. I saw his interview on The Colbert Report, and he seemed like a cool dude, so I'd be thrilled to get to work with him; he's currently working on a book and is seeking assistance with research and website stuff. I'm guessing there are quite a few hopefuls, but I'd be remiss not to give it a shot!
Another new development is... I skipped breakfast today! Yes, I'm giving Intermittent Fasting (IF) a try. I'm working on dropping some body fat, and this is a great way to kick it up a notch. I've been seeing a lot of great stuff about Martin Berkhan and his Leangains protocol, and while I don't forsee skipping breakfast on a daily basis at this point, I do intend to make it a point to skip a couple meals a week. Obviously this flies in the face of Conventional Wisdom, which commands that we eat every few hours to keep the metabolism going and avoid blood sugar crashes, muscle loss, etc. I used to eat that way, and I did need to, because I was eating crap food. When you eat crap food, of course your blood sugar is all over the place! Since shifting to a more paleo-esque diet, I rarely feel the need to snack, and I often feel like I could skip dinner all together. The idea of occasionally skipping meals feels much more intuitive to me, because I believe our ancestors probably didn't have a steady stream of food available at all times; it was likely more feast and famine. Eat nutritionally dense foods, and you may be surprised that you no longer feel the need to graze all day!
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