Queen of the Stone Age

My Extreme Kitchen Makeover

2012-01-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

Since goin' paleo, I have been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen. Eating a lot of home-cooked meals from real ingredients is just part of the deal, so I had pretty much resigned myself to being in the kitchen for most of my evenings. It's become a bit demoralizing as of late, feeling chained to my kitchen. I've tried making larger portions of foods, but some things just aren't good as leftovers, and eating the same thing for a few days can get boring!

Enter the Weekly Cookup! This is a fantastic idea from my new favorite cookbook Well Fed, and it just might set you free from Good Food Jail. Just think- now you can pay attention to your children and spouse, you'll have time to catch up with friends, maybe even go out for happy hour! You can spend your time like a normal person again! Here's what you do:

Make a list and go grocery shopping
Cook up a few pounds of meat with minimal seasoning
Partially cook some sturdy veggies
Mix and match with different condiments and seasonings over the course of the week

I did my first cookup last weekend. It was kinda rough- I have a hard time focusing, so I did get a bit frazzled by doing so many things at once (and unfortunately burned a pan of bacon), but having dinner on the table in five minutes (that didn't taste like leftovers) the next day made it all worth it. Here's what I got out of it-

2 small roasted spaghetti squash (about 6 servings)
1 baggie of partially cooked broccoli florets (4 servings)
1 baggie of partially cooked brussels sprouts (2 servings)
A little over a cup of cooked onions
1.5 lbs of baked boneless chicken thighs
1 lb ground beef, cooked with garlic salt & pepper

The next day, I came home from work super hungry. I heated up the broiler, put four chicken thighs on a baking sheet, and brushed with a mixture of honey & dijon mustard, and sprinkled on some herbes de provence (it's my Frank's Hot Sauce- I put that shit on everything). Then I heated up some clarified butter in my new T-Fal Caldero, and tossed in 2 cups of the brussels sprouts & about a handful of the onions (plus a little salt, pepper, and the herbs), and put the chicken in the oven. Then I just cooked the veggies until they got a bit caramelized, and the chicken until it was heated through (just a few minutes, until the sauce sizzles). That's it! I had my dinner and lunch to bring to work.

Materials and my sis' donuts

The finished product, just a few minutes later!

After eating dinner, I threw my breakfast together. I wiped out my pan and heated up 1/3 of the hamburger with a little water & taco seasoning, and added some onions. Once that came together, I set the meat aside, wiped the pan, cooked an egg in it, plopped that on the beef, and packed it up the next morning with some avocado, tomatoes and cilantro. That was a damn fine breakfast.

By 5:30, I was done cooking and cleaning up for the day; I was freee!

Are You Well Fed?

2012-01-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

This post can also be seen at Highbrow Paleo!

I was so excited to learn last year that Melissa Joulwan was coming out with a cookbook. Melissa writes the very popular blog The Clothes Make The Girl, which is my go-to resource for fun Whole30 meals, delicious homemade sauces, and paleo-friendly ethnic recipes. After checking out the handy-dandy free sample though, I saw that this book is so much more!

If you're a paleo-eater, you may find yourself spending a pretty ridiculous amount of time in the kitchen. I don't have children or a spouse to cook for, yet I often find myself coming home from the gym, and spending upwards of two hours preparing my dinner for that evening, plus my lunch and breakfast for the next day. I love to cook, and I know this is an investment in my health, but it's still a bit much! Well, I am happy to say this is now a thing of the past, thanks to Melissa's tips. Well Fed outlines how to run your kitchen like a restaurant, so you're never more than a few minutes away from a good meal. Melissa recommends taking a couple of hours each week to cook up a few pounds of meat and partially cook a bunch of veggies (this is the "Weekly Cookup"); these items can be infinitely combined into "Hot Plates" with seasonings and sauces to keep your belly happy over the week. It makes so much sense, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it before! I did my first cookup this past Sunday; my self-diagnosed ADD was raging, but I got it done (and unfortunately burned up a batch of bacon) and it was SO worth the effort. When I got home from work on Monday, I had my dinner on the table within five minutes, ate it, and then had my Tuesday lunch and breakfast packed away fifteen minutes later. Shazaam!

Cookup #1 (with the beggarcat)

Yes, the cookbook has fantastic recipes too! Melissa's Paleo Pad Thai is a favorite of mine, and I am looking forward to cooking my way through the whole book. My (non-paleo) sis looked through the book and declared that every single recipe looked like something she would like- not too shabby! If you only buy one cookbook this year, Well Fed is well worth it.

Ask nicely and your copy can by signed by the Melicious herself!

And so the years passed, as they do somewhat regularly...

2012-01-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

2011 was a hell of a year. Christmas Eve 2010, my mom was the victim of a head-on collision near my parents' neighborhood, and this resulted in a 4 week hospital stay in D.C., followed by a lot of rehab at home. It was very hard seeing my mom have to go through all this, but my family and our friends really pulled together and got through it; when I feel angry about it, I think about all the support and well-wishes she received, and it helps.

There were other not-so-happy things going on last year. I am notorious for trying to fix things I can't fix, and otherwise manage things that are really out of my control, and the results are usually disastrous. It's hard striking the balance between fighting for what you want and knowing your limits. Slowly, I'm learning that I'm not as powerful as I think I am, and sometimes I need to let things happen the way they're supposed to.

There have been so many positive things happen in 2011, too. I got into all this paleo-stuff a little over a year ago, and I sure didn't expect it to enrich my life in so many ways. Of course, I'm the most grateful for feeling better; not being sidelined by pain and discomfort is a wonderful thing. Additionally, my dietary overhaul led to an exercise overhaul. Like so many, I used to dread going to the gym; when I would go, I'd do my 30 minutes of cardio, and dick around on the Nautilus-type machines, making no discernable fitness gains. After learning about weightlifting and kettlebells, I LOVE going to the gym. I'm still not in as great shape as I'd like to be, but it's pretty cool that last year I was too intimidated to go near the free weights, and now I get approached by people at my local big-box gym asking me about what I'm doing, and giving me kudos on my progress. When I work out at Southern Maryland Crossfit, it's always a humbling experience, and it gets me thinking more about those delicate balances- I want to push myself and improve, but I need to be careful about comparing myself too much to others. I can barely snatch 65lbs, and clean 95lbs on a good day, but I never even thought I would be trying snatches at all, and the first time I tried to clean an empty bar, it was a hot mess (there was some funky reverse-curling going on, and I thought I was going to break my wrist). I haven't come as far as I could have, but I have come pretty far.

I'm also so, so I happy I had the privelege to attend the Ancestral Health Symposium. It was hella exciting to be in the same space with all my favorite writers and thinkers, and it just feels great to be among like-minded people. There were more warm-fuzzies to be had at the MovNat and Whole9 workshops I attended in the fall, and I've been having such a great time interacting with my friends from Highbrow Paleo! Let's face it; many of us that eat this way are pretty hardcore about it. We love talking about our meals, what we got at the farmer's market, how much bacon we ate yesterday, what kind of workouts we've been doing, etc.; most of our friends and family probably don't share our rabid enthusiasm, and that's totally fine. Of course it matters most that that I feel good about what I'm doing, but there is something to be said for belonging to a community. I'm grateful to have found a group of smart, fun, and opiniated folks to talk with about all this stuff so I don't have to annoy the crap out of my "real-life friends" and family as much. That said, I'm definitely troubled by a lot of the in-fighting that's been going on in the larger paleo community as of late; our "thought leaders" have a lot of different opinions and of course healthy debate is a great thing. Unfortunately, things have gone way outside the realm of "healthy debate," and prominent folks in our community have been acting really nasty towards one another and alienating those of us who look to them for guidance. I don't get why they don't all just give the best advice they can, disagree respectfully, and remember that we really all have a lot in common. It makes me a bit sad to see this behavior from people I respect(ed?), but I'm just taking what I can use and leaving the rest.

As for resolutions, I don't really have one, but I've definitely tightened up on my diet this month. I'd been getting a little crazy with the candy again and after the holidays, it's definitely time for a reset. I'm also trying to get a handle on my technology addiction by barring myself from using my phone, computer and iPad after 8:30 on worknights. I have such a hard time focusing on tasks, and sometimes a hard time falling asleep, and I believe all the bright flashy lights and social networking are contributing! Hopefully the January tech diet will prove helpful.

I'm very excited to see what the year will bring. :)

Bacon & Onions with Liver

2011-12-27T10:41:00.000-05:00

This post can also be seen at Highbrow Paleo and Chowstalker!

I worked through some childhood trauma last week; I've had a grassfed beef liver in my freezer for... a year or so. Haunted by memories of "that nasty liver smell," it took awhile to get the nerve to cook the damn thing, but I finally did it. I want to love liver, really I do, but I think I'll have to settle for tolerating it; I pulled every trick out of my sleeve that I could, but I still can't say this was an enjoyable experience. Some of you actually enjoy liver though, so I will share my method. Meh...

1/2 a liver (mine was a little under 1.5lbs., and I knew I wouldn't eat it all, so I just made half. I'm no scientist, but I'm not down with eating the filtering organs of sick animals; get a good grassfed one, it should still be pretty inexpensive)
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled, grease reserved
1 large onion
a few TBS of clarified butter
2 TBS arrowroot

1 head cauliflower, chopped into large chunks
1/3 cup broth
a few TBS heavy cream (optional)
a few TBS butter
Salt, pepper, & herbs to taste (I used herbes de provence)

A few hours before cooking time, slice liver into 1/2" slices, and soak in milk or lemon juice; they say this will diminish some of the liver flavor. Slice onion and cook in clarified butter on medium-low heat for about half an hour until the onions get a bit caramelized; add bacon and set aside.

At this point, heat broth in a saucepan over medium high heat, and add cauliflower; steam for about 6 or 7 minutes until you can easily poke with a fork. Once it is tender, add butter, cream and seasonings, and puree (great job for a stick blender if you have one.) While cauliflower is cooking, add bacon to the pan that the onions were cooking in, and heat up to medium-high. Dry off liver slices, and place in a baggie with arrowroot, toss to coat. Once pan is hot, add slices of liver, and cook for about a minute on each side; it will be brown on the outside, and pretty rare on the inside. I was amazed that there was NO SMELL! My mom is a great cook, but we have some, uhh, different ideas about how long to cook things; if you don't cook the hell out of the thing, you may be spare your loved ones from the liver-stank. Serve with plenty of bacon & onions, and choke it down!

Mmm bacon! Eww liver! So conflicted...

#prettygirlproblems

2011-12-09T08:02:00.002-05:00

Katherine Heigl has caught some crap over the years for some stuff she has said in interviews; I myself do like her, and I admire that she speaks her mind, knowing she is exposing herself to scrutiny.

This kinda irks me. Katherine Heigl is a little thicker than Jennifer Aniston, but is by no means overweight; why should we congratulate her for "accepting her body the way it is?" Being so fortunate to look like her without having to do any work for of it is hardly something worthy of applause. Also, I like food too! I love all the food I eat; loving food and being careful about what you put in your body are NOT mutually exclusive. I'm so tired of people saying "oh, I like food too much" to eat healthy; what a big ol' BS copout.

Everyone has their insecurities, and kudos to her for speaking up about hers, and blah blah blah, but it struck a nerve with me regardless. *shrug*

Wow, she is SO BRAVE for going out

in public looking like that.

Image courtesy of MSN Wonderwall

Probiotic Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

2011-12-01T08:28:00.000-05:00

I guess I seem to be getting on a fermented foods kick; I've been reading a lot about how so many of us are lacking these foods in the diet, and I'm definitely one of them. Cultured foods were a big part of traditional diets and have unfortunately been replaced with pasteurized, sanitized versions; it makes sense to me that our gut health is suffering for it.

I recently made some lactofermented mayo (which I am thrilled about because I am now free from my Hellman's prison) and tried out some goat milk kefir. Yeah, it's a little different! It was like runny yogurt, as I expected; I stirred in a little honey and cinnamon to make it more palatable. Then I had an idea! I made a pumpkin smoothie.

8 oz grassfed goat milk kefir (that's what I used, but there are cow and coconut varieties on the market)
3 TBS pumpkin puree
1 TBS honey
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Just stir it all together; you don't even need a blender! Sorry, no pic as of press time, but you can probably get the idea. If it looks like a glass of orange stuff, you're on the right track.

Thankful I won't be doing THAT again any time soon!

2011-11-25T12:04:00.013-05:00

I didn't have a nice clean paleo Thanksgiving. Armed with my trusty digestive enzymes, I had stuffing, a couple rolls, and a piece of pumpkin pie, along with all the healthier stuff; luckily I felt ok the next day, but a weekend of sustained, repeated glutening wasn't the best idea...

Last year I took the liberty of ordering a Bronze turkey from my local organic farm, and Dad was sooo annoyed. He's the roaster of turkeys in our family, and understandably didn't like the routine being shaken up- he typically would buy a non-frozen commercial bird from the grocery store, and it always turned out great. So, I annoyed Dad by getting an expensive frozen turkey that came with special instructions. Dad's former military, so I figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission *shrug* Of course, Dad was so delighted with the turkey that he even emailed the farmer to let him know how great it was, and how it reminded him of the turkeys of his childhood. Dad ordered a similar turkey from another local farm- this one was a Jersey Buff and was roasted for seven hours. It. Was. Amazing. This here isn't the turkey we ate, but apparently the father of our bird.

Meet Chip and the farmer

Now here's the non-fun part. I worked out prior to the feast, and this was the first time I kinda wanted to cry during a workout, and kinda felt like throwing up after. I typically just go to the gym and do stuff I find fun & avoid stuff I find sucky, but it's time to suck it up so I can actually improve. I've enlisted a workout buddy who is far more able than me and has been providing bad-ass nasty WODs for the past few weekends. The prescribed workout was to be 100 dumbbell hang squat-clean thrusters (which I'd never done) with 5 burpees (which I hate with the passion of a thousand suns) on the minute until all DBHSCTs were completed. Looked extremely tough, but doable.

Well, my friends, doable it was not. A few minutes in, I was sucking to the point that once I was done with my five burpees, I only had enough time to do a couple thruster thingies before it was time for MORE burpees. At least five minutes went by where I did NO thruster thingies. I quickly became really demoralized and realized that I was so fatigued by the burpees that at best I would finish in several hours, or I would possibly never finish and be resigned to spending the rest of my life doing five burpees on the minute. That was pretty scary, and my thruster thingies were getting increasingly ugly, so I decided I'd better stop at 50. Good decision, because I was uber-nauseous at the end. It probably would've helped if I hadn't wasted energy by stomping around like a frustrated three year old, but I think I need some major work in the stamina department regardless...

I like to Mov it- Mov it

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

*This article can also be seen at Highbrow Paleo*

A few weekends ago, I participated in a MovNat workshop at Rock Creek Park in DC. I really enjoyed Erwan LeCorre's presentation at the Ancestral Health Symposium, so I was really looking forward to it. The workshop was taught by Clifton Harski, and he had an assistant instructor named Justin, who is training to teach their one-day workshops.

It was a great group of people in the class- there were all kinds of body types, ages, and fitness levels, and I definitely noticed that pretty much everyone was in minimalist shoes. It was a little chilly that morning, so I left my Vibrams at home due to the ol' Raynaud's; I had to chuckle to myself because I used to stick out like a wierdo wearing Vibrams at my gym, and now I was the wierdo in normal shoes!

So, what can one expect to get out of one of these workshops? The thing is, as we humans become so advanced that we no longer need to really do anything physical for ourselves, we've grown grossly out of touch with how to move. Many of us are spending a third of our lives in chairs; with online shopping, work, and school, we could probably live our entire lives on our asses if we wanted to! We've innovated away our instincts, and MovNat is a great way to re-learn skills that came naturally to us as kids, and that mankind used to depend on to survive.

The skills we went over were walking, running, balancing, crawling, jumping, climbing, lifting, carrying, throwing, and catching. Swimming and defense are also part of the MovNat skillset, but weren't covered in the one-day workshop. We spent a chunk of time on each skill and learned different techniques for each one, such as various methods for climbing a tree, different ways to crawl in order to safely get up and down hills, etc. It's all about learning to move in a way that is most efficient, safe and natural, and I learned a lot! I've always had a fear of going upside-down, and pretty much anything gymnastics-related; doing a ton of forward rolls (even a ninja-style one after hopping off a picnic table!) has made a dent in that. I've also gotten more efficient with crawling- I've done some bear crawls in my CrossFit workouts, but learned I had been wasting a bunch of energy by sticking my booty in the air. I even learned what the Smith machine is for- Clifton suggested we use it to do some stepping over/lunging under drills, and I've been incorporating that into my warmups in the gym!

One thing I really liked about the MovNat presentation at AHS was the emphasis on its intangible, unmeasurable benefits, such as courage, self-seteem, etc. At the workshop, I did some stuff I hadn't done before, and that's always a nice feeling; I was able to hoist myself up on a tree branch (still working on getting the full "MovNat leg swing"), and I found that I can pick up an average-sized dude and drag him to safety! I didn't succeed in fireman-carrying him, but was pleased nonetheless.

I wish I had a better memory or had taken notes during the wrapup; Cliff talked with us about how he likes to work out when not teaching workshops, about eating well while traveling. I definitely remember though, that when speaking about overtraining, he stated that most people are more likely to be under-recovering rather than over-training. Ain't that the truth! So many are eating like crap, sleeping like crap, and thinking it's all good because they spend an hour on the treadmill every day; if you're one of 'em, you're not doing yourself any favors by prioritizing exercise over recovery.

If you're able to swing one of these workshops, I highly recommend it. I'm going to work on my leg-swinging and tree-climbing in earnest this winter, and will hopefully be able to attend another workshop next year!

I can has pullup!

2011-11-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

For longer than I care to admit, my gym goal has been to do a pullup. Since I became determined to get decently strong, I've been haunted by gym class memories- taking wrestling over gymnastics because I was too afraid to go upside-down, struggling and failing to climb a rope, and dangling helplessly from a pullup bar when it came time for the dreaded Presidential Fitness Test. I no longer give a crap about my humiliating volleyball serve, but I'm not giving up on the other things!

If you're a girl, there's really never been any shame in not being able to climb a rope or do pullups. You'd give it a shot, and the teacher would say "that's ok, most girls can't do it." Well, once I got into my late twenties, I didn't want to be most girls any more; a few months ago I climbed a rope for the first time, and last weekend I got my first pullup! I found this article from Urban Gets Diesel to be really helpful; mixing up grips and methods was definitely key. I used assistance bands, did negatives, partials, jumping pullups, and static holds. Once I was strong enough to do one with the smallest assistance band, I made sure to do a couple of those every day I was in the gym, and focused less on using the heavier band that allowed me to do a higher volume. Also, I tried my best to resist the urge to kip; yes, it does make it easier to actually get your chin over the bar, but I've read several sources that state it's safer to hold off on kipping until after you have the strength to achieve a dead-hang.

So keep hangin' in there, babies! For most of us gals, this is something that takes serious werk; it might take two months, it might take over a year (yes, that's about how long I'd been trying). You'll feel pretty bad-ass when you get there, and it's always nice to add something to that list of things you never thought you'd be able to do.

Some hearthealthywholegrains!

2011-10-20T13:38:00.002-04:00

Even pre-paleo, I was never a big oatmeal person, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about Jack Kronk's recipe on Paleohacks. I do think that properly prepared grains can be a harmless "once in awhile" treat, and a vehicle for real food ingredients. So, I got some oats from the store and soaked them with water and goat kefir; I didn't have any buckwheat flour but wasn't too worried about it. Dad was confused as he saw me rinsing the oats last night ("those look like grains"); I assured him not to worry, that I was just experimenting. I was low on blueberries, so of course, I figured I better just make em with pumpkin instead! After soaking and rinsing the oats, I mixed together 3 eggs, 1/2 can of pumpkin, 1/4 cup of honey, and a tablespoon of trusty pumpkin pie spice, and stirred this into the oats. Then I added the half stick of melted butter and stuck the dish in the oven. Turned out great, and it didn't cause me any stomach upset, woo-hoo! This oatmeal is even better when you look at Jack's avatar while you're eating it. Thanks Jack, for the awesome recipe and awesome torso! :D

Added some coconut milk, and sprinkled

with a little cinnamon & coconut sugar, nomz!

So what else is going on? Well, on Sunday I'm doing my first MovNat workshop at Rock Creek Park in D.C., and I'm really looking forward to it! I'm so relieved my neck has gotten better (it seemed like it never would) and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Next weekend I'll be attending a Whole9 Foundations of Nutrition Workshop in Bowie; it was supposed to be this past August, but had to be postponed due to Hurricane Irene. I got a lot of good tidbits out of the Whole9 virtual workshop I participated in last spring; I'm really stoked about a whole Saturday! In addition to all that, I'll be moving AGAIN next week, whew! More busy times ahead, but I'll be sure to write about the fun stuff (i.e. the non-moving stuff) as soon as I can.

Primal PSL

2011-10-13T14:51:00.001-04:00

That pumpkin spice is so hot right now (yes, that's a Mugatu reference). I haven't been able to tolerate caffeine lately, so I haven't been having my usual Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice K-Cups and have been obsessively looking for a substitute (because I'll be damned if I'm going to Starbucks every day). After some poking around on the interwebs, I made a decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte last night; this creamer mixture is enough for roughly three servings. No, I didn't steam the milk or use espresso; lets call it a Ghetto PSL.

2/3 cup coconut milk (or grassfed heavy cream like I used this time)
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 TBS pumpkin puree
1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe vessel, microwave for 45 seconds- 1 minute, and stir to dissolve coconut sugar. Then just pour some into your favorite coffee (or black tea!) and try to forget about the fact that summer is over!

Adventures in babysitting and grocery shopping

2011-10-11T15:21:00.000-04:00

Times have been hectic indeed! There's been a move, a new job position, a little more drinking and a little less cooking than is ideal. I recently spend most of a weekend babysitting my little niece; I'm not a kid person, so it was interesting. I was curious to see how she would like being a paleobabby for the weekend (Paleohacks joke!), and the experiment went well! I told her I was making bacon for breakfast and she seemed cool with that; she even got impatient while it was cooking and said "where's my bacon?!" Needless to say, I was delighted; she had bacon & bananas for breakfast and loved it. Then we went to the county fair to look at the animals and I forgot to give her lunch :/ Didn't I say I'm not a kid person? Let's just call it intermittent fasting! She seemed fine though, and after naptime I gave her some rotisserie chicken and a little white rice for dinner. I didn't accomplish getting any veggies in her that day, but she ate an impressive amount of chicken, and no cookies, crackers, or prepackaged baby meals.

The next week I spent a day in Baltimore with my parents and I found a great dinner place on Restaurant.com- it's called Waterstone Bar & Grill and it was an absolute gem. I'd gotten a $25 gift certificate for $2, so dinner for the three of us was under $40. Mom got a bison burger, and dad & I both got the Hairiki Village dish: 2 lamb chops, fried calamari (yes, there was gluten), grilled yellow squash, and a side of cucumber, tomato, feta salad. I'd go back in a heartbeat, and my mom was even impressed (no small feat).

I've also recently had the opportunity to try out Elevation Burger. A location was recently opened at the National Harbor (about an hour and a half from my home) and I was excited to check them out after learning about them from some paleo forums. Their beef is grassfed, they will wrap your burger in lettuce, and they cook their fries in olive oil (also, said fries are enough for two people to share)! Pretty cool! I was really pleased with my meal and will definitely be back next time I'm in the area.

I also had a rare opportunity to go to Whole Foods last weekend (yes, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are a special treat for me). While I absolutely believe Whole Foods doesn't have to be expensive and there are great deals to be had, I'm a little ashamed to admit I spent over $100 on two bags of groceries :( There were some fancy things (a pastured chicken, grassfed beef, wine, etc.) but I also stocked up on my Kerrygold (which costs a lot more in my town for some reason) and got some good yogurt because I'm doing some experiments with lacto-fermenting, and apparently the regular store yogurt isn't very effective in the probiotic department (I read that on the internet, so I'm not 100% sure, but why mess around with fermenting mayo?) I also got a container of sheep yogurt for shits & giggles, and a bottle of goat kefir because I want to see what all the fuss is about. I'll definitely be doing some smoothies with the kefir, and will probably try drinking some with honey and some spices.

So that's what I've been up to; more recipes are coming soon!

Petite Medallions with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

2011-10-06T14:22:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I got second place in a Chowstalker contest, and I've been patiently waiting for the weather to cool off so I could redeem my U.S. Wellness Meats gift certificate. Last week I knew it was time. I was going to be economical and just get a bunch of ground beef, but then my BFF said "get some steaks!" And so I did. I got a hanger steak (because I can't find that cut locally), teres major (because it sounds fancy and I'd never heard of it), some lamb ribs, bison stew meat, and some pet burger for my sweet cat, Lala.

I started with the teres major. This cut comes from the shoulder and is similar to tenderloin; the site said "if sliced into medallions, they are appropriately named petite tender medallions." Sounds good to me! There's a lot of cream in this recipe; I've been watching my dairy intake lately (doing so makes it even easier to maintain my weight), so this isn't something I would have all the time. Coconut cream can often be substituted but it does have some natural sweetness, and I didn't want to experiment with my fancy steak.

1.3 lbs teres major or tenderloin
Clarifed butter for the pan
Salt & pepper

1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TBS butter
2 tsp arrowroot
Herbs of choice- I used a little dried thyme, will try tarragon next time!
Salt & pepper

1lb frozen cauliflower
1/4 cup heavy cream
More butter!
More salt & pepper

Leave the meat out at room temp for 30 minutes or so before cooking. Trim silver skin, slice into 2" medallions, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and preheat oven to 300. Heat a couple tablespoons of clarified butter to medium-high, and place medallions in the pan. Cook a little over a minute on both sides until they get some brown on the top and bottom, then transfer the meat to a baking dish and put in the oven. While all this is going on, try to multi-task and prepare the frozen cauliflower per the instructions for the stovetop. When it's done, drain the water, cover, and set it back on the stove to keep warm.

Once the meat is in the oven, add a couple more tablespoons of butter to the hot pan, and add the mushrooms. Saute until they start to brown, then add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream, arrowroot, and dried herbs. Once the sauce is bubbly and thickened to your liking, see if it needs any salt & pepper, and set it aside. Almost there! Next, add 1/4 cup of cream to the cauliflower and puree to a mashed potato-ish consistency. Add butter, salt & pepper to taste, remove your meat from the oven (it should've been in there about 7 minutes and should be about medium), and serve.

Fall is back with a vengeance, and so am I!

2011-10-04T14:22:00.002-04:00

It's that special time of year kids! The leaves are starting to change, you're using a little less sunroof & a little more seat warmer; there's no time like the present to roast a chicken! I've always been pretty skilled in the kitchen but didn't get the hang of roast chicken until pretty recently; for something that's supposed to be simple, it can be hella hard to get it right.

I wish I could remember the site I learned this from a few months back so I could give them credit for saving me from any more chicken-fails. The secret is to let the bird come to room-ish temperature before putting it in the oven. The first time I tried it, it was like magic; it was the best chicken I'd ever made, and maybe the best homemade chicken I'd ever had (yeah, sorry mom!)

Without further brouhaha, here's my first Official Fall Dinner:

1 Chicken- 5.5 lbs, hopefully the bug-eating pastured variety
1 lemon, quartered
1 large fennel bulb, cut into large chunks
1 red onion cut into large chunks like your fennel
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" slices
2 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
The obligatory handful of peeled garlic cloves
2 TBS butter, softened
A few TBS light olive oil, melted butter, whatever you want to drizzle everything with

-Remove chicken from its packaging, rinse, pat dry, and set on a plate with some paper towels. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit out for 4-5 hours.
-Heat oven to 425.
-Rub chicken with softened butter (or olive oil if you're not doing butter), sprinkle pretty liberally with salt & pepper, and a little dried thyme (I would've added rosemary but couldn't find it).
-Place chicken in a BIG roasting dish breast-down (this keeps the breast moist), stuff lemon wedges into the cavity, and put in the oven
-After 30 minutes, remove pan from the oven, arrange fennel, onion, and carrots around the chicken, and drizzle with some fat of choice.
-After 45 more minutes, flip the chicken on its back so the breast can crisp up, and add the brussels sprouts & garlic, stir veggies together.
-In about 30 more minutes, everything should be done (if you poke around the leg and breast, clear juices should run out.) Pull the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest 20 minutes before serving.

Life-changes, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes, Oh My!

2011-08-31T13:06:00.001-04:00

Just when this thing starts getting a little bit of traffic, things get funky! Since getting back from LA, life has been nuts; I'm looking forward to churning out some new recipes and whatnot as soon as things go right-side up again...

Post-Irene sky

#AHS11

2011-08-11T23:20:00.007-04:00

Paleopalooza. The Woodstock of Evolutionary Medicine. Paleo Summer Camp. Yes, I'm talking about the awesomeness that was the Ancestral Health Symposium! Last week, I flew out to LA (with a little help from the absolutely wonderful Virgin Atlantic) and I spent Friday & Saturday soaking up smartness at the UCLA campus.

Let's get the fan-girl stuff out of the way first.
I met Mark Sisson! And Melissa & Dallas of Whole9! And Robb Wolf! I got to say hi to so many people whose blogs and books I read (Diane Sanfillipo, Julianne Taylor, Melissa McEwen, Sarah Fragoso, Tucker Max, Lindsay Starke, the Drs. Eades, etc.), and I wanted to talk to so many more, but eventually my shyness took over and I lost my will to introduce myself to any more people. Everyone was so nice and happy to be there, and it was very cool that the speakers were out and about, spending a lot of time with those of us who were there as attendees. Hell, Tucker Max spent a good twenty minutes chatting with me and my AHS buddy Danielle; he was surprisingly friendly!

The Grokfather himself

Tucker Max, Danielle, Robb Wolf and meee!!!

My favorite tidbits.
I had a tough time choosing between seeing Mark Sisson and Denise Minger, and I'm glad I saw Denise. Besides being brilliant, she seems like a lovely person, and was a natural speaking in front of a large group. Her talk was "How to Win an Argument With a Vegetarian," but I believe the information she shared applies to conventional wisdom in general, as meat is roundly villified by the "health-conscious" masses, and vegetarianism & veganism regarded as something to aspire to. Everyone knows vegans are the healthiest people out there, right? Well, Denise took us through the confounding variables that nobody seems to consider, such as the fact that vegetarians are more likely to exercise and avoid alcohol & tobacco compared with the typical omnivore (i.e. non-paleo meat eater). Also interesting was that the popular and successful vegetarian diet programs all exclude items that we paleo folks also avoid, such as sugar, refined grains, and processed oils! "It must be the veganism, right?" Not necessarily... As more and more people approach me who are curious yet skeptical about paleo, Denise's information will definitely come in handy, but as Robb Wolf added during the Q&A session, "if people don't want to buy in, f**k 'em;" if people want help, we're all here to give that, but I've never been successful in changing anyone's mind about anything, so I'm working on wasting less energy trying.

Another favorite presentation was by Erwan LeCorre of MovNat. Not only is he gorgeous to look at and listen to, but I really needed his message. I love the gym, which is great and all, but I really do need to get back to nature. I strive to focus on functional movements, but it doesn't get much more functional than getting into the outdoors and dealing with tree trunks and rocks. GPP isn't really about actual skills- agility, speed, strength, and the like aren't skills; jumping, throwing, and lifting are. That had never occurred to me, but made perfect sense. Erwan also stressed that MovNat is about so much more than what you weigh, how fast you can run, or how much you can squat; it's about non-measurable progress in areas such as courage and self-esteem. That really resonated with me. As an added bonus, MovNat instructor Clifton Harski informed me via Twitter that there will be a MovNat workshop in DC this October, so I'm hoping to get in on that!

I wish I were smarter so I could have better understood the presentation by organic chemist Mat Lalonde (aka "The Kraken"). Here's what I got- we can't just get away with saying things like "grains (etc.) are bad for us because we haven't been eating them very long" or "legumes are bad because they have lectins." Anti-nutrients are not all created equal, and they even elicit different responses in different species. I also gathered that it is safe to say peanuts are bad, and gluten is very bad. Now there's news I can use!

One random bit I learned was from Dr. Cordain- here in the U.S., we fortify our flour with folic acid with the goal of preventing spina bifida. However, he then told us there is a link between folic acid supplementation and cancer, and cancer rates have increased since we began adding folic acid to flour. Correlation does not equal causation of course, but interesting nonetheless. Also interesting that Europe has ceased to add folic acid to their flour. Anyhoo, another reason I'm glad I don't eat flour! The more you know...

There were several enjoyable presenters I hadn't heard of, one being Matt Metzgar. There's always talk of "is this sustainable?" and he addressed that by viewing paleo through the lens of an economist; very cool to get that perspective. Is it sustainable? I still don't know, and I thought for a moment a fight was going to break out, because there were some gents in the audience that seemed quite passionate about the topic! My main takeaway was his nifty sustainability index- a scoring system by which to evaluate any particular food (it asks questions such as "is it organic?" "is it wild?" "is it in season?" etc.)- definitely appeals to my number-nerd side!

Paleo Superfriends!
I got to meet folks from Paleohacks, which was so cool. Back in my internet dating days, it always seemed like nobody is nearly as smart or funny in real life as they were on the internet- not Paleohackers! The gals were such sweethearts, the guys were a trip; I was so glad to meet them all, and I'm grateful I had Danielle (who flew in from Hawaii for the event) as an AHS buddy. I also got to meet Patty, who owns Chowstalker, and the blog Following My Nose.

I definitely noticed there were a lot of healthy-looking folks there! I wish I went around taking pics of all the feet- lots of bare ones, lots of Vibrams, and a few pretty ladies in heels.

It was very nice to be able to talk about the topics I care about without having to wonder every few minutes "am I getting annoying? I better shut up now." Quite a few of my girlfriends at home are getting interested in all this stuff too, but there is something to be said for being in a room with several hundred like-minded people; it's a good feeling.

The Eats
I was mainly excited about In-n-Out Burger, what a letdown! The patty was lame-o, the fries were dry and seemed stale. Thursday lunch was at Thai Dishes in Santa Monica- coconut soup was great, and we got mee-krob for appetizer; it was way too sweet for me. Friday night was dinner at Animal, the famous nose-to-tail eatery that lots of AHS folk were dining at. Their menu was pretty gluten-y, but my group was all ok with giving it a go. I had oxtail poutine, quail, marrow bone, and the crispy pig ear. The pig ear dish was a little too tangy for me, but it was a great experience; I loved the marrow and am looking forward to replicating it at home (it was topped with caramelized onions and chimichurri, I may try spreading it on some almond crackers). As for lunchtime at the AHS, Sbarro was noticeably empty; I got a nice Mexican chopped salad on day 1, and Panda Express on day 2 (no, I didn't get kicked out for that one). Saturday night dinner was at Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica. Nice place, but very pricey, and the oysters weren't really worth it (we're from Southern MD; we know oysters!). For the jaunt down to San Diego, I had shrimp fajitas at Pokez; shrimp were kinda puny, but everything tasted great. For lunch the next day, I went to South Beach Bar & Grill for some famous fish tacos. I had one ceviche, one grilled shrimp, and one fried fish; they did not disappoint.

Extracurriculars
I spent a LOT of time in Santa Monica! There's the pier to walk on, lots of restaurants and shopping nearby, even a grown-up playground! I spent a good chunk of Thursday afternoon in a shop called Brandy Melville on the 3rd St. Promenade. WOW. Most of their tops are one size fits all- lots of loose flowy tanks and sweaters, and some stretchy camis & tube bras for layering- the possibilities are endless, and the prices weren't too shabby! After I left, I just knew I could fit right in with the snooty hipsters.

If you're going to be a hobo, this is the place to do it.

Sunday morning before heading to San Diego, we went to the beach on the left side of the pier for a workout. I felt pretty worn out just from watching all the monkey-people swinging and flipping around, but I got in a few jumping pullups, some half-assed dips (I'm gettin there!) and I climbed a rope! I didn't make it all the way up, but I was still pretty thrilled because I could never climb the dreaded rope in PE class in school. Now if I could just do a pullup...

I don't know those dudes, but I just had to get a pic!

While in San Diego, I got to check out Balboa Park, which was lovely. The trolley driver's parents used to live in my town! Kinda a coincidence because it is a somewhat rural area, but it is a Navy town.

Also, in Ocean Beach there were some dudes pulling a shark up the pier on a skateboard. That is all.

Chicken-Artichoke Salad

2011-07-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

This is what you do when you have leftover roasted chicken and excessive amounts of mayo!

*Makes 1 giant portion

2 cups torn lettuce
2 cups baby spinach leaves
A few slices of tomato
1 roasted chicken leg quarter, shredded
1/3 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup mayo (make it yourself, it's worth it!)
A few sprinkles of italian seasoning and garlic powder

Here's the hard part:
-Fold together chicken, mayo, artichoke hearts, and seasonings
-Put chicken mixture and tomatoes atop greens

Today in: What Grinds my Gears- Barbell Edition!

2011-07-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

I used to really enjoy ladies' health & fitness magazines, and CW-oriented fitness websites; consequently, I "liked" many of their pages on Facebook so their updates would show up on my feed. My beliefs on health have really evolved a lot over the past year, so I generally don't find these updates useful any more, but it's become a bit of a guilty pleasure to engage in some light trolling (or "playing devil's advocate?") in the comments on their posts. Really silly, I know. I'm not snarky or rude, but I like to throw in my .02 when I see meat being demonized, oatmeal being lauded, chronic cardio encouraged, stuff like that.

WELL, one popular fitness website posted a link on their Facebook page last week that pissed me off a little. The idea of the article is that women should take up barbell training, which is great! I've fallen in love with the barbell over the recent months, and I'd love to see more women do the same. I, like so many others, felt limited to machines, little stretchy tubes with handles, and dainty pastel dumbbells for many years, and we can do better. Here's the thing; the title of the article is "5 Exercises That Aren't Just for Men." Okay... They go on to describe some barbell exercises that I recognize, but they have been re-labeled with cutesy names such as the "Booty Toner" and "Sexy Back." I have a couple problems with this:

If these exercises "aren't just for men," how about we refer to them by their proper names? It ain't a Booty Toner, it's a back squat.
The descriptions of the lifts... how do I put this delicately? Frankly my dear, they suck. There are no pictures and the instructions are really vague. If I were reading this article as someone who had very limited or no experience with barbells, these instructions would not give me warm fuzzies. Cautious folks like myself probably wouldn't want to get out there and make an attempt, and more adeventurous types will probably give it a try and end up injuring themselves.

It's usually not easy to offend me, and I cringe at overly-politically-correctness, really I do; I pondered the possibility that maybe I was being a little oversensitive, but after seeing the all the other comments on the Facebook link, it became apparent that I was not alone! On the plus side, the article will probably get a few more ladies curious about weightlifting, so maybe it isn't a total fail; I just hope those ladies find a better source of information to get started.

Maybe we should just stick with Body Fuzion...

Image courtesy of http://www.emagascene.com/

Onward and Upward

2011-07-20T11:39:00.001-04:00

I've been back to work on eating clean and re-deprogramming the sweet tooth; things are going well. Monday and yesterday were really tough in the sweet tooth department- Monday I had two Larabars (usually I just have those once or twice a week), Tuesday I really wanted one, but I resisted temptation. Yes, they are made of permitted ingredients, but are not to be used in the event of sugar tantrums, and that's what was going on for me!

In happier news, I have been pumping out some goodies in the kitchen! The Clothes Make the Girl has been a great resource for me lately; doing the Whole30 is a lot easier when you have plenty of fun new recipes to try, and this site is chock-full of em. I've finally achieved mayo success, which is awesome (and can serve as a base for all kinds of dressings and sauces), we've had some awesome "fried rice" made from cauliflower, and I used Melissa's pad thai recipe as inspiration for a really delish analogue for peanut noodles (I used a mixture of almond butter and tahini in the sauce). I've also found a new fave side dish in these cucumber sesame noodles; they are really tasty and refreshing! Everything's been really flavorful, and all great ways to get your veggies in when you can't rely on smothering them in butter :)

Cauli-fried rice with cucumber noodles- lunch of champs!

Pardon the interruption...

2011-07-18T13:16:00.001-04:00

What is it about being in a different area code that makes people feel like they can do bad things and it doesn't count?

I went to Ocean City this past weekend. I intended to stick to the Whole30 and came super prepared- I brought some canned goods, cooking oils, grassfed meat (our lovely friends lent us their condo which has a fully equipped kitchen!), even made and brought coffee creamer. I also looked up a nearby health food store and was looking forward to checking it out. Well, as we crossed the Bay Bridge to the Eastern shore of MD, I decided I could live with breaking my Whole30 by having a couple drinks with dinner the next night. Well, the next morning, I decided to get an iced latte from McDonalds (I thought "hell, I'm already going to have drinks with dinner, meh!") It was sooo sweet, I drank about 1/4 of it and tossed the rest- definitely a sign that ol' tastebuds were re-calibrating, woohoo!

Well, a couple drinks at dinner gave way to quite a few crappy choices. The only really special thing I had was a sfogliatelle- the elusive lobster-tail pastry typically found in Italian bakeries in New York and New Jersey. I had never had one (and didn't know when the opportunity would present itself again) so when I saw a tray full of these beauties at the café near our condo, I got one. I am glad I got to try one, but honestly, I didn't find it all that great!

SO now it's back to square one. I tried to convince myself I was ok with all these crappy choices, but I wish I'd just stuck with the program. Things had been going so well, and with all the tools I had at my disposal, it would not have been so hard to stick it out. I'm paying the price though (my stomach is still feeling pretty off) and am definitely looking forward to feeling awesome again!

Sfogliatelle and digestive enzymes

The bucket of booze from my descent into madness

One week down!

2011-07-08T08:06:00.003-04:00

I now have one week of the Whole30 behind me, woohoo! I've pretty much given up on coffee, and I feel fine with it. Adding coconut cream (the stuff from the top of the can) was ok, but I still found myself forcing the coffee down, and wishing it had truvia in it; don't want to keep playing with fire like that. The boyfriend offered me some of his limited-time-only peach milkshake last night, and I easily turned it down (I don't think he totally gets that I can't even have a little bit of the forbidden stuff). Normally I would've taken a big gulp of the thing and gone back for more (he loves his milkshakes, and I love stealing them from him; it doesn't count if I don't order my own, right?)

Occurences like that tell me I am improving my relationship with food and taking back control, and I like control! :) For the 4th of July, I stayed in control by making and sharing side dishes that are Whole30 friendly, just saying "no thanks" to drinks and other things I'm not having right now, and asking for no BBQ sauce on my chicken. Easy!

Sweet potato salad, broccoli salad, free-range

chicken, and a piece of giant grassfed/local chuck steak!

Fancy Omelette for Two

2011-07-07T11:43:00.001-04:00

Whenever I go to the grocery store, I pick up a pack of smoked salmon. I hold it for awhile, put it back, look at it, put it in my cart, and put it back again. It's really pricey!! Weekend before last, I was at Trader Joe's and it was one of those rare occurences I actually went through with the purchase, and I made an omelette.

-5 eggs

-4 oz smoked wild salmon, roughly chopped

-2 tsp capers, rinsed

-2 TBS chopped tomato

-A few thin slices of red onion

-Cooking fat of choice: avocado oil would be great, I used some bacon grease

Beat the eggs. For a long time, until nice & fluffy. Heat your cooking fat over medium heat in a large pan, add the eggs. Once they are almost set, add the salmon, capers, tomato and onion, then fold the omelette. I cook it another minute on each side before serving.

Not the most photogenic breakfast...

Whole30- Just Checkin' In

2011-07-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

It's day 6 of my Whole30 Program, and it's going so great. I'm not feeling any differently yet, but it's going great because I'm actually sticking with it. I made it through 4th of July weekend pretty easily- there were 2 cookouts and even a night of sober karaoke, and I didn't really feel tempted at all, which was pretty cool.

Yesterday, however, that was kinda tough! It was my sister's birthday and the family got together for some Thai carryout. I called the restaurant to make sure their curries were coconut-based as opposed to dairy (they were) and suggested some "meat-on-a-stick appetizers" to my dad, who was doing the ordering. Despite all my planning ahead, I was severely wanting the spring rolls, the little wonton things, and the ice cream cake (it was Turkey Hill- I didn't know they even made ice cream cake!) A couple times I almost made a grab for the naughty appetizers, but I resisted. I knew it wasn't worth it to risk undoing all the progress I've made, and if the damn wontons are that great, there will be more of them next month. I just kept telling myself that, and made it through the evening!

A lot of drama and self-congratulating over a little food, I know. We get so used to treating ourselves and giving in to our desires all the time, and, well, we get spoiled. I think of challenges like this as not only healing to the body, but a great exercise in restraint. It's nice being a grownup and getting to do whatever you want, but eventually you've gotta learn to tell yourself "no." And when you do, give yourself a little pat on the back! :)

Almond-Crusted Cod

2011-06-28T14:26:00.004-04:00

This is one of those uber-easy, yet impressive-looking dishes! I've been disappointed by the lack of wild salmon at my local BJs, but they do have wild haddock and cod; either is great in this recipe.

Almond meal is something I like to just use in moderation; when I first went grain-free, I was going pretty buckwild with almond flour-based baked goods, but I've cut way back since learning about that pesky oxidized omega-6 :( Yes, some things are too good to be true... This makes 3 servings (I like to have leftovers to microwave at work the next day and stink up the office).

1 lb cod filet
3/4 cup almond meal *UPDATE* I have also done this with chopped, slivered almonds and liked it even better!
3 TBS melted clarified butter
1 lemon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Italian seasoning, herbes de Provence or whatever herbs you like

- Preheat oven to 500
- Lay fish out on a cookie sheet lined with foil
- Combine other ingredients and spread evenly in a thin layer over the fish (if using almond meal, it should be a wet-doughy consistency)
- Bake for about ten minutes until fish is flaky and topping starts to darken; serve with lemon wedges

For sides, I just sauteed some quartered baby bella mushrooms and green beans with garlic.

I'm doing the Whole30! No BS this time!

2011-06-28T09:24:00.001-04:00

Sound familiar? Yep, I started a Whole30 for the new year, but quit a few days in :( I started putting heavy cream and Truvia in my coffee again, had a few drinks on the weekend, and didn't get back on track. So what's different this time?

I'm prepared! Last weekend we went up to Annapolis to hit up Trader Joe's & Whole Foods to stock up on goodies, and I recently replenished my supply of grass-fed beef. I also ordered more coconut oil and a couple packs of leaf lard to render so I won't be tempted to cook with my clarified butter. I've been reading the Whole30 posts on the 9 Blog, perusing Chowstalker for recipes, and today I will be writing up a menu plan. If I learned one thing from doing Weight Watchers, it's the value of planning meals- that was the key to my (albeit shortlived) success.
I have support! The folks at Whole9 have opened an official Whole30 Facebook page, and I have started a smaller Facebook group with some folks from PaleoHacks, so we can have a lot of interaction and get to know each other a little better. The beau has claimed he will participate too, but I don't forsee him giving up his peanut butter & protein powders just yet ;) I've asked him to not tempt me with dinners and ice cream- if we go out to eat, we'll probably stick with Red Robin (they will wrap your burger in lettuce!) sushi (I can eat my weight in salmon sashimi) and maybe some local seafood places. Having support at home goes a long way!
I've hit bottom! While I feel immensely better since cutting out grains, I still have some lingering gut issues, and it's time to find the culprit.
Preparation+Support+Rock Bottom=Motivation and Excitement! Last time I felt dread, this time I am STOKED! I don't have the little voice saying "gee, I can't go all of July without my sangria" or "I'll probably end up having a cupcake or two," etc. The "cheats" and "slip-ups" aren't worth it. I just feel ready.

I've got a Golden Ticket!

2011-06-22T10:28:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge how SUPER STOKED I am about the fast-approaching Ancestral Health Symposium. Things are coming together quite nicely- I was able to get one of the $25 student tickets, I got a great deal on a hotel thanks to a helpful tweet by Melissa Joulwan of The Clothes Make The Girl, and I'm also working on organizing a meetup for fellow PaleoHacks members! If the beau and I can get plane tickets for a decent price, then I will be just thrilled :)

The Paleo community is positively buzzing with nerdy excitement, and I am no exception! Like it says on the homepage, this is "the Woodstock of Evolutionary Medicine;" all the people whose books and blogs I read daily are going to be together in one place, and I can't wait. There are very few paleo folk here in Southern Maryland, and even fewer if you don't count my friends that I've converted; I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and learning some new things!

Mushroom Burger with Parsnip-Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

2011-06-16T13:41:00.001-04:00

*Find this and other paleo recipes on Chowstalker!*

No story or sermon today, just hardcore food pr0n!

Burgers
1 lb ground beef (I used pastured, not-100%-grassfed cow from Zekiah Farms)
4 oz sliced baby portabellas
2 slices of your favorite cheese (or not)
a couple cloves of garlic, chopped
2 TBS clarified butter or fat of choice

Hashbrowns
1 small sweet potato
2 parsnips
Salt and other seasonings to taste- I used some Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute and Everyday Seasoning
1/2 cup duck fat

Saute mushrooms and garlic over medium high heat, set aside. Make the hashbrowns- heat duck fat over medium-high heat, shred sweet potato and parsnips, and add to pan. Add seasonings and stir every few minutes until browned to your liking (about 10-15 minutes). While the hash browns are cooking, make your burgers- I made mine about 1/2lb each, about 1 inch thick, sprinkled on some TJ's Everyday Seasoning, and made indentions with my fingers to help them stay flat while cooking. I did four minutes on the first side, flipped them, added the mushrooms and cheese, and cooked about 3 or 4 more minutes on medium-high heat for medium burgers.

Roasted Duck Salad with Berry Vinaigrette

2011-06-14T11:46:00.003-04:00

*Find this and other great recipe ideas at Chowstalker!*

"Eating paleo is too expensive!" Well, you better call the whaaambulance because I just got a duck at BJs for six bucks the other day. There are some great deals to be had if you look for them- check out markdowns on items hitting the sale date (as was the case for this duck), invest some time in researching deals on pastured meats, get local produce if you can, you know the drill!

Had I made this duck on a non-work day, I would have used this method, but due to time constraints, I compressed the time down to about three hours, roasting at 325 degrees. I definitely found that scoring the skin, poking and flipping periodically helped the duck to give off a lot of fat- 1 whole cup to be exact. Can't wait to use this on some roasted veggies, hash browns, etc.

Roasted Duck Salad (1 serving):
1 roasted duck breast
3 cups of your fave salad greens
2 TBS coarsely chopped pecans
1 TBS crumbled feta (blue cheese would probably be great, if you're into that)
Berry Vinaigrette, to taste

Berry Vinaigrette (4 servings):
1/4 cup raspberries and/or blackberries (I used a mix)
3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey

While the duck is roasting, toast the pecans- just put them in a pan on medium-low heat, and cook until they start to get a little color on them (swirl the pan around every couple of minutes); set aside. For the dressing, just whiz everything together with a blender, or press berries through a seive and whisk all the ingredients together. After your duck is rested and carved, just put everything together on a plate and drizzle with some vinaigrette.

Coconut Chicken Curry

2011-06-13T11:01:00.002-04:00

Find this recipe and hundreds of others on Chowstalker!

Yesterday I checked out the new Asian grocery store in town and found some great stuff! I came away with a couple cans of curry paste, some frozen coconut meat, pork rinds, fish sauce and a couple other things. I was hoping for some young Thai coconuts, but they don't carry them (I did tell the staff that I will buy coconuts if they stock them! I usually have good results from requesting products at small shops like this). There are plenty of gems to be found at Asian groceries, but sugar, MSG, wheat & soy were lurking everywhere; I accidentally bought pork rinds with MSG in them (this place even sold MSG by the bag! Apparently it is also known as "umami spice"). After I got home, I made a big pot of chicken curry to bring in for lunch throughout the week, and I must say, it is BANGIN.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 can coconut milk (refrigerate this, scoop out the cream, and either toss the water or use it in a smoothie)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
enough of your favorite curry paste for 4 servings (I used panang curry)
2 TBS coconut butter
2 TBS coconut oil
2 TBS chopped kaffir lime leaves
1 TBS prepared lemongrass

-Over medium heat, cook curry paste with coconut oil for a couple minutes
-Add onions and cook until they start to soften
-Add the cream from your chilled coconut milk, lemongrass, coconut, and chicken
-Turn heat to low, and cook (stirring occasionally) until chicken is cooked through; about 25 minutes
-Stir in lime leaves & coconut butter, serve over steamed broccoli or roasted cauliflower

Lovely lunches

2011-06-07T14:47:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a Balanced Bites post dedicated to lettuce wraps, I picked up a head of Boston lettuce last week. The great thing about Boston lettuce (aside from its wrap-ability) is that it is still living, and consequently stays good in the fridge for quite awhile. I brought a few leaves and whatnot into the office and made these bad boys:

Oooh, doesn't that look fancy? For the filling, I just used some cold rotisserie chicken, bacon, guacamole, and some tomato slices; super easy!

Today I did another bigass salad (this was the second time I've found an adorable baby slug crawling around on my lettuce- eek!)

I brought in some lettuce mix, bacon, rotisserie chicken (I don't eat these all the time, I swear) & dressing, and added some spinach, broccoli, carrot, onion, radish, boiled egg, and a few sunflower seeds from the office salad bar.

Now to think of some semi-homemade lunches sans bacon and rotisserie chicken...

Super-fancy chicken

2011-05-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

It's always been hit or miss when it comes to chicken breast; not any more! I was never sure how long to cook it, and it would always either end up under-cooked, or dried out. As usual, bacon to the rescue! Stuffing the chicken and wrapping it in bacon keeps the chicken moist, and makes it non-boring, of course.

This recipe can be great for when you have company- it looks impressive but ir surprisingly easy, and to top it off, it's pretty un-mess-up-able. It's also versatile- you can try it with different leafy greens, different cheeses (if you do cheese), you could wrap it in pancetta, you get the idea.

4 chicken breasts
2 oz Kerrygold Blarney Castle cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1 bag (12 oz?) baby spinach
2 garlic cloves, chopped
8-12 slices of bacon, depending on how large your chicken breasts are

-Start by sauteeing the spinach with the garlic until it wilts; set aside on a piece of paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
-Butterfly the chicken breasts so they open up flat, season with a little salt & pepper
-Divide spinach and cheese between the chicken breasts, and close them back up
-Wrap each piece of chicken in bacon. Usually 2 slices per chicken breast works for me
-Lay chicken seam side down on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes
-If you want to crisp up the bacon, stick the pan under the broiler for a few minutes after baking
-Serve with a sexy side dish, or cold over salad

Anchovy+Raw Egg= Crazy Delicious

2011-05-19T14:21:00.002-04:00

Everyone loves a Caesar salad, but I wonder how many people have ever had one with homemade dressing. Well, I can assure you it's pretty dang tasty! Just get over the heebie-jeebies, think of it as a sum of its parts, get your ass to the store, and buy some anchovies.

As often as I eat salads, I can't justify buying most bottled dressings from the store; they are almost always made with soybean and/or canola oil. If I find the rare "safe" dressing, I'll buy it, and I like to make my own as well. I found the recipe for this Caesar dressing on Free The Animal; I love the uncomplicated meal ideas, and I really love Richard's rants! For my salad, I tossed the dressing with a few handfuls of salad mix from my fave local farm, some Caesar cheese mix from BJs, and topped it with some chicken tenders that had been marinated a couple hours in equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, and baked at 425 for about ten minutes.

Nomz!

Really?!

2011-05-19T13:48:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I found that one of my local farms is selling small portions of grassfed beef, woohoo! Well, I was really saddened this weekend to learn that they have stopped. Apparently, they were encountering too many roadblocks with the county government, and it got to be too much of a hassle. I'm not surprised- I always hear about small family operations like that running into difficulties because of government wanting to control the wrong things; now I'm seeing it in my own backyard. Maybe because of my German-ness, I've never seen much of an issue with a strong government, but this stuff really grinds my gears!
A couple weekends back, I finally watched the documentary King Corn, and it was really excellent. I'd been putting it off because, well, corn is kinda boring. The film was really informative, and was actually quite entertaining. I'm a big believer in voting with your dollars, now more than ever. Not only do I want to eat the healthiest foods possible, I want to be a compassionate consumer. I do this by trying to support businesses that treat their workers, lands and animals well, instead of supporting the industrial farming machine and government subsidies I don't believe in. Let's be part of the solution!

Would you rather support this farm?

Or this one?

Sidelined, and more salad!

2011-05-09T14:00:00.001-04:00

My Meetup group (SoMD Wild) had our first Meetup this past Saturday! We did a hike/run around a lake in the county, and had some food after; good times had by all. It was about half runners and half hikers (plus our incorrigible Vizsla, Baxter); I'm guessing I probably jogged about 2 miles and walked the other 5.5. Well, I have totally not been running lately- my right ankle was getting pretty hurty during my running spurts; it just felt like pretty normal running discomfort, so I ran as much as I could. I was in my Vibrams and I think maybe I overdid it. I've pretty much just been doing barbell stuff the last couple of months, and while the old shin pain didn't return, I may have been a little overambitious in doing 7.5 miles practically barefoot. Anyhoo, as soon as I got home, my left foot started hurting. Over the next couple hours, it started feeling like I sprained my ankle, even though I didn't do anything to it! I stubbed my right toe and the right ankle was the one hurting on the trail, but it's two days later, and I'm still limping around. So, I'm off to the doc tomorrow, hopefully to figure out what is going on.

In other news, got some more awesome local produce on Friday. More organic salad mix, a couple dozen pastured eggs from our local Amish friends, baby arugula, asparagus, tomatoes, and rosemary. All for fifteen bucks! Ergo, today's lunch was another glorious salad! It's with boiled egg, tomato, avocado, and some awesome peppery bacon, topped with Tessemae's lemon salad dressing. Mmmm... Thanks to my sweet new iPhone, here's a non-terrible cell pic.

Local produce-gasm!

2011-04-19T14:23:00.000-04:00

I am eating the most delicious salad for lunch and felt compelled to write about it right away. It has turkey lunch meat on it, but bear with me. Said turkey is resting upon a mountain of gorgeous salad greens and boiled eggs from a farm in my area. I added a dressing I picked up from Whole Foods- the ONLY paleo-friendly dressing I have ever seen in a grocery store! It's called Tessemae's All-Natural Lemon-Garlic Dressing, and it's from Annapolis, a little over an hour from where I live. All it has in it is olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt, and mustard. Oh, and of course I added several strips of crumbled bacon.

Anyhoo, this salad mix (from the Funny Farm in Callaway, MD) is amazing. It has some baby lettuce, arugula, some other leafy stuff and herbs I can't identify, and the result is super tasty. Like, I never knew the base of a salad could be so good; it usually doesn't taste like much of anything! I had been trying to call this farm to see about doing a tour with my Meetup group, but the phone number I found online was no good. I sucked it up and headed over to the farm last weekend. I went into their store and discovered they sell eggs and butter from the local Amish; score! When I went to the fridge to get some, the lady at the counter told me about the salad greens, so I grabbed a bag of that too. I asked her about their beef, if they just sell by the side or quarter, and she let me know there were steaks and ground beef in the freezer. OH SNAP! I had been ordering grassfed beef from Vermont, unaware that there was a source of smaller quantities, right on my own backyard. All because I'm lazy and over-dependent on the internet! So yeah, I'm so glad I popped in; now I have a new source for cheap, top-quality eggs and butter, and steaks too.

Soon I will have a new phone with a better camera.

My Whole9 Virtual Workshop Experience!

2011-04-13T12:42:00.000-04:00

Last week I saw on Whole9 that they would be piloting a new virtual workshop format, and would be selecting a handful of readers to participate in a free trial run. Well, I am a major Melissa & Dallas fan, and they have quite a following, so imagine my delight when I saw that I had made the cut! I submitted questions inquiring about their thoughts on cholesterol (and cholesterol meds), how much importance they place on organ meats, and about nutritional preparation for Tough Mudder (still toying with the idea of actually doing this). There will be a future workshop focusing on endurance training, so my last question would be a better fit for when that event happens, but I got some great info on the other two, and also got a lot of good tidbits from the other participants' questions.

First off, I am pretty interested in cholesterol. I remember the first time one of my friends told me that saturated fat intake and cholesterol was never proven to cause heart disease; I probably looked at her like she had eight heads. Well, eventually I decided to stop believing things on the grounds they are repeated so much, everyone takes them as gospel. The fact of the matter is, this whole idea is borne of a scientist cherry-picking data to suit his own pre-conceived notion, not good science. These days, you can't watch TV for than half an hour without seeing a commercial for a cholesterol medication, showing some fit, active, middle-aged individual for whom "diet and exercise isn't enough." Crestor is their final hope against certain death! Wellll, not necessarily. There are millions of Americans on drugs to artificially lower their cholesterol, and there is much debate as to how effective these drugs are at preventing heart disease, especially in women. Anyhoo, Dallas & Melissa's take was that high cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease, but a symptom of inflammation (which is an accepted factor for heart disease), and we are better off concentrating our efforts on reducing inflammation by living a healthy lifestyle, rather than lowering cholesterol artificially. Right on!

In other news, I was relieved to learn that the Whole9 folks are totally cool with my not eating liver, woohoo! Grassfed offal can be a wonderful source of nutrients, but we don't need to worry about missing out on anything by sticking to muscle meats, of course along with various veggies. I do have a grassfed beef liver in my freezer, and I WILL defrost and eat it one day, but I'm not going to sweat it after that.

There were some great questions from the other participants about stuff like gluten and protein powders for PWO nutrition. One person reported that they were able to re-introduce gluten with no ill effects, and was wondering if that meant they could keep eating it. Dallas explained that gluten can increase gut permeability and the damage can build up over time, even if an individual doesn't feel bad after eating it. They categorized it as one of those things you should only eat if it's in the form of something really special and tasty. I myself am gluten intolerant, so it's gotten pretty easy for me to resist temptation!

As for protein powders, of course Melissa and Dallas recommend having real food after workouts, but they do recognize that life gets in the way, and sometimes a protein shake is in order. They do not recommend whey protein though, which is a popular choice among paleo folk who shake it up. Egg white protein is a superior choice because it doesn't elicit the inflammatory and insulin responses that dairy products do, and because it tastes like crap. Yes, it is a better choice because it tastes like crap- protein shakes are convenience food, and you can't have your cake and eat it too (definitely don't eat cake after your workout!)For example, I have been having several whey protein shakes a week- chocolate flavored, and blended with delicious fruits and almond milk. But, but, I go to a Crossfit affiliate 40 minutes away, and I'm just trying to get my post workout meal in as soon as possible! Well, I'm going to suck it up and bring some real food to eat after my workouts- it really isn't that hard to make a big batch of mashed sweet potatoes & boiled eggs to eat over the course of the week. And if I don't make the time make that happen, well, I'm not rewarding myself with a delicious chocolatey concoction. Tough love!

So yeah, what a cool experience! I'm really looking forward to signing up for future virtual workshops, and am so glad I had the chance to participate in the pilot. I really like their style- they tell it like it is (but very nicely), and they make things easy to understand for us non-sciencey folk; if they hold a workshop on a topic that interests you, totally check it out!

Just fruit & coconut milk, I swear!

Food Pr0n

2011-04-04T15:50:00.000-04:00

I have been massively delinquient in my posting lately, and I don't want to lose my five readers, so here's some food porn to tide ya over! I apologize in advance if there are any duplicates here, and I will post full recipes for some of these soon. Work, yada yada, school, yada yada, you get the idea...

Roasted duck with sauteed asparagus and blue skillet taters

Chicken breast wrapped in bacon with green beans

and teeny-tiny potatoes from Trader Joe's

An in-progress omelette- baby arugula and

Blarney Castle cheese

The bacon-wrapped chicken in leftover form:

over spinach salad!

I better warn my sister to avert her eyes- runny yolk alert!
(She has runny-yolk issues)

Soft-boiled egg, sauteed spinach, and oil-poached salmon

Sexy side dishes

2011-03-22T15:10:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, I was super picky. I would eat peas and broccoli, but as far as vegetables go, that was about it. No mushrooms, no spinach, probably no carrots, definitely no peppers (ok, I still hate those most of the time.) The last couple of years though, I've started really enjoying them, and I believe if I can do it, anyone can. Let's face it, there are cultures that are mostly living on animal products, but if you're not eating odd bits, you may have a hard time meeting nutritional needs from just animal products. Some folks may feel a little lost when it comes to the idea of no longer having their usual rice pilaf, white potatoes, bread, etc. with their dinner. Well, it's time to get friendly with vegetables! If you cook them right and use a healthy helping of fat, they will be wonderful, I promise. You may notice roasting as a theme here; roasted veggies are the shizz. Here are some of my fave side dishes as of late:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (like most of us, I used to HATE these, now they are one of my favorite things in the world)

1 pound fresh brussels sprouts
6 oz (half a pack) bacon- get the highest quality you can
a few shakes of Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, or whatever strikes your fancy
3 TBS melted clarified butter

Slice the bottoms off the sprouts, remove the outer leaves, and slice them in half lengthwise
Chop bacon into small pieces
Toss together sprouts with butter and seasoning
Spread in a single layer in roasting pan, sprinkle the raw bacon pieces over top
Roast at 400 for about 30 minutes until sprouts are golden brown

Roasted Broccoli (or Cauliflower)

1 lb broccoli florets
3 TBS melted clarified butter
1 TBS chopped garlic

Toss ingredients together, and spread out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper
Roast at 425 for about ten minutes, until broccoli is bright green and some florets are starting to brown.
**Roasted cauliflower is GREAT as a vehicle for curry if you are missing your rice- I sprinkle it with a little curry powder and roast the florets for about 20 minutes until the tops start to get golden.**

Skillet Taters

1 lb blue potatoes
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 cup clarified butter (if you have duck fat USE IT!)

Slice potatoes as thinly as possible (I ran them through the food processer)
Add butter to large pan, bring to medium-high heat
Add everything to the pan, and sautee for about fifteen minutes, stirring potatoes every couple of minutes until they soften and some are crisping up. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Leafies

1/2 lb spinach, swiss chard, arugula, you get the idea
3 roughly chopped garlic cloves
2 TBS clarified butter

Sautee garlic in butter over low-medium heat until it starts getting a little golden-brown. Add your greens, and sautee for a couple minutes until they wilt. Add some salt & pepper to taste, and a squeeze of lemon if you have it.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

2 large sweet potatoes
2 TBS coconut flour
1 large egg, scrambled
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper

Shred the sweet potatoes with a grater or food processor
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl
Cook in clarified butter or coconut oil over medium-high heat; either just dump it in (may be a 2-batch job) and stir every few minutes until golden brown (about 15 minutes) or shape into patties for sweet potato pancakes!

Make any veggie palatable
-Roast it (duh)
-Add bacon (double-duh)
-Slather it in pastured butter like Kerrygold or Organic Valley Pasture Butter
-Sprinkle on some quality cheese
-Put it inside meat (stay tuned for my stuffed chicken breasts)
-Don't overcook! If your veggies are always coming out as mush, on your next attempt, cook them half as long as you normally would.

Didn't really have any side dish pics handy, so here's some

lovely local produce

Asian-inspired Salmon Salad Repost

2011-03-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

Another throwback from the old site- it's salad season!

My name is Julia, and I'm a salad-aholic. Salads don't have to be boring and they can be really filling, contrary to popular belief (I actually have been working on eating this one for the past hour and a half). I also like salads because they are uber-versatile; you can pretty much throw in anything you have laying around, and they're a great way to enjoy your favorite ethnic flavors without ingesting a bunch of heavy stuff like rice, cheese, or noodles.

For this particular salad, I had some salmon in the fridge and an avocado on the brink of over-ripeness. I love the dressing they have at one of my local Japanese places, so I decided to model it after that; it tastes kind of like a peanut sauce, and I pretty much have almond butter coming out of my ears at the moment, which is the perfect base for a cleaned up version.

So, I just grilled some salmon, made my dressing, and put it all together with some stuff from the salad bar at my work. Sorry, the cell phone pic doesn't really do it justice; it was quite the beautiful salad!

1 portion of wild salmon, 4-6 oz

1 TBS sesame seed

1TBS coconut oil
1 small avocado, sliced (half would probably be plenty, I just love me some avocado!)

A few cups romaine or your favorite salad greens

Some shredded carrot, onion, and cucumber

Dressing:

This makes about six servings, I think it should keep for a week or so in the fridge

2 TBS creamy almond butter

1 TBS honey

1 TBS +1 tsp cider vinegar
2 drops chili oil (not essential if you don't have it; it just adds another layer of flavor)

2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 TBS finely chopped fresh ginger

Some water, maybe 2 TBS

Make the dressing:

-You may want to melt the almond butter slightly (especially if it's the bottom of the jar) so it's easier to combine with the other ingredients; it only takes a couple minutes to do this on the stove
-Whisk all ingredients together; add the water if you'd like to thin it out a little

Grill the salmon:

-I did mine on the good ol' Foreman I'd recommend laying down some non-stick foil if using a real grill (no offense George, I love your grill too)
-Smear the coconut oil on both sides of the salmon, and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Pat them down a little to make sure they adhere to the fish
-Grill the salmon; I just did a minute on each side because mine was pretty thin, and I like it a little on the rare side. I always find the top plate on the Foreman grill to be hotter than the bottom, so I do flip whatever I am preparing on it.

I'm sure you can figure out the rest; I prepared the dressing and fish the night before, and had everything chilled (I am not a fan of microwaves, so I try to avoid bringing stuff to work that needs reheating; more on that later!) Like I said before, this salad really can keep you satisfied all afternoon; it's full of fiber, good fats, and protein, don't underestimate the mighty salad! :)

Birthday Funtimes and Forging Elite-ish Fitness

2011-03-16T08:31:00.000-04:00

Last friday was my birthday. In the spirit of taking good care of myself in my old age, the boyfriend and I checked out Southern Maryland Crossfit, which is located in the bustling metropolis of Waldorf. I got interested in Crossfit last year and have been dabbling & teaching myself some less-dangerous movements, but I know I haven't been working out at intensity, so it was time for some motivation.

They offer two free sessions to newbies; the first is an assessment, and the second is a group class. Friday was our assessment, and we both had a great time! The coach started off by going over some basic health history to make sure he was aware of any injuries or other limiting conditions, gave us some info about Paleo nutrition (check!), and went over how they run their classes. He had us both show him how we are with pullups (I'm getting there- he showed us how to use assistance bands, which I'm now implementing in my usual routine), pushups (yeaaahhh, I need to do these more often), and bodyweight squats (this was ok, but I was not sitting back enough- good to know). The coach was really cool and helpful, and put things in terms that made sense (e.g. "imagine you're drunk and there's no bathroom around; what are you gonna do? Sit back!") Then we did a 500m row to warm up, and a WOD. It was 5 ball slams (I hadn't done these before, really liked!), 10 pushups, and 15 wallball shots, as many rounds as possible in 5 minutes. Only 5 minutes, you say? Well, I don't know if I even squeezed out two full rounds, it was TOUGH. Definitely a humbling experience, and reinforced the fact that while I've been making some good strength gains, and having fun teaching myself new lifts, I've been bo-jangling! We're really looking forward to going back to try out a class; hopefully we'll be able to make it up there at least a couple times a month.

Chocolate Salty Nuts, and other snacktime favorites!

2011-03-08T14:38:00.001-05:00

Since getting off the blood-sugar roller coaster ride, I don't need to snack much, but it's nice to have something healthy-ish on hand when you're busy at work or on the go. I also see that a lot of times, beginners like to have that safety net of having snack options that are "allowed." Here are some ideas:

-Chocolate salty nuts: Melt some dark chocolate slowly over low heat; once all the little chunks are melted, mix in a bowl with macadamias, spread out on parchment, and refrigerate until the chocolate is solid again. These can be portable in a little plastic container.

-Deviled eggs: not very portable, but great if you can keep them in a fridge at work.

-A spoonful of coconut butter

-Larabars: these are full of dates, which are full of sugar, but they are not heavily processed, and are made of real foods, so I think they are great in a pinch. The coconut cream pie one is really tasty; just don't have these too often!

-Jerky: I'm not big into jerky, but I really like Trader Joe's Teriyaki Turkey Jerky once in awhile.

-YouBars: This is pretty neat; you go on the site, and choose ingredients to make a custom bar. I got my first order last week, and my recipe needs some tweaking- from now on, I'll choose "more nuts," and I asked them to halve the dates to cut down on the sugar, but the bar was a bit dry. Pricey, but a very cool concept!

Paleo and Crossfit featured on Nightline

2011-03-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

I've been looking forward to this since January- last night Nightline aired a segment about the Paleo diet, as part of their "You Are What You Eat" series. I just watched this bootleg clip on YouTube, as Nightline airs waayyy past my bedtime.

The piece focused on Art DeVany and Robb Wolf, and I caught glimpses of John Durant and I think Melissa McEwen; I'm an avid reader of all those folks (except Mr. DeVany, as he charges for his site) so it was cool to see them all together on a mainstream news show.

Some positives- they gave a pretty good basic depiction of what is "allowed," and what isn't; a previous clip on Nightline stated that people following "The Caveman Diet" eat "raw meats, vegetables, and fruits," which isn't the norm. They showed people having a great time at a Crossfit box in Brooklyn, Robb Wolf demo-ing some moves (HOT!), and Art DeVany PULLING HIS RANGE ROVER (senior citizen HOT!). Paleo got the blessing of the featured nutritionists, which means absolutely boo to me, but can help generate interest with the general public. I really liked that Robb stressed that all kinds of people are doing this, and it's not a "lunatic fringe" movement.

On the other hand, I feel like Paleo was portrayed as just another diet, and it really is so much more. Maybe Nightline didn't want to seem like they are giving medical advice, but there are so many people living this lifestyle that are getting off diabetes meds, healing their guts, getting relief from thyroid problems, fibromyalgia, PCOS, the list goes on. I personally find that pretty amazing and I think it deserved a mention. I posted on Paleo Hacks to get some other thoughts on the show, and Melissa weighed in that it came across as a diet for men, and I agree. Since it is sometimes referred to as a "Caveman Diet," the perspective of a woman who is actually doing this (not a pair of fat-phobic nutritionists) would have been a valuable addition.

I'm really glad they did this segment. Even if gets one person interested, and they change their life for the better, it was a success. If not, more grassfed steak for me!

The best short ribs I've ever made...

2011-02-24T09:02:00.002-05:00

*Find this and many other paleo recipes on Chowstalker!*

Well, it was only my second time. They were really great though- last time I accidentally bought boneless short ribs (bones make everything so much flavorful), and I braised them in the oven. This time I used a couple packs I ordered from http://www.vermontgrassfedbeef.com/, supplemented with an extra pack from my local BJ's, and braised them in the crockpot. The next time I order these, I will be getting a LOT! Grassfed meat is naturally leaner than the grain-fed stuff you find in the store, but these grassfed short ribs had plenty of fat on them, and the fat of healthy animals is a good thing. I personally like to eat a higher fat diet these days, because it keeps me full, and it is damn tasty! I just try to be mindful of the types of fats I'm eating, but not in the same way I used to (i.e., favoring polyunsaturated over saturated fats). Here's some info on healthy fats; granted these are links to other paleo-type sites, but it's easier to read and make sense of these than something from an academic journal:

-The Definitive Guide to Saturated Fat
-Grass-fed Meats: Health Benefits
-Fats: Which to Eat and Which to Ditch

Oh, and here's that short rib recipe I was talking about!

-5 lbs short ribs
-2 cups red wine (something drinkable)
-1 cup stock or broth
-1 medium onion, roughly chopped
-2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
-1 pack roasting herb blend (rosemary, sage, thyme) wrapped in cheesecloth
-1 big handful whole garlic cloves
-Clarified butter or lard, etc. for browning the ribs
-Salt and pepper

Start by patting the ribs dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add fat to large pan (I used two for expediency) and heat it up pretty high. When the pan starts smoking a little, add ribs to the pan; leave space between them, or they'll steam! Brown them well on all sides, and add them to a slow cooker, add wine, stock, veggies, herbs, and garlic. You could just cook them on low for about 7 hours, but I started mine late, so I cooked them on high for about 3 hours, then stuck the insert in the fridge overnight (let it cool off for an hour or two first, so it doesn't heat up the fridge). The next day, I scooped the fat off the top (these give off a LOTof fat, so I like to remove the excess so it's not too greasy- save the fat, render any residual water out of it, and use it for cooking some taters, mmmm), and put it back in the crock pot on low for about 4 hours. Then I strained the liquid through cheesecloth (discarding veggies), and reduced it on the stove for about an hour, and poured it back over the ribs at serving time (kept them in the crock pot on warm while the liquid was cooking).

For sides, I roughly chopped up some sweet potatoes, tossed them in melted clarified butter, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and chinese five spice, then roasted at 425 for about 40 minutes (turn the pieces halfway through). I also roasted some broccoli florets for about ten minutes (sprinkled them with some olive oil, salt & pepper, and italian seasoning).

So worth the effort!

It's a double recipe, all the way!

2011-02-22T14:33:00.000-05:00

Confessional time; this weekend, I had two cupcakes at a birthday party, and some bread at Outback. Aaaand, moving on! Before the cupcakes, I made my rounds at the ol' food table; there's almost always some good, or at least not so bad stuff there. I had some baby carrots and cherry tomatoes from the crudité tray, a couple deviled eggs, and made some little rollups from the sandwich tray. I did take a few digestive enzyme caps; I do find that they really help lessen my symptoms when I have gluten.

We have company at the homestead this week, so I've been cooking up a storm! Yesterday I made a frittata for breakfast; it's a great way to use up stuff from the fridge, and it's a crowd-pleaser. Here's what I had on hand:
-8 eggs
-A few TBS heavy cream
-A couple handfuls of baby arugula
-A handful of baby portabellas, sliced
-About 1/4 medium onion
-5 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled (I like to bake it at 350 for about 20 mins)
-A few thin slices of Kerrygold Blarney Castle cheese

Beat together eggs and cream, set aside. Saute mushrooms and onion in some clarified butter or bacon grease until soft, then add arugala; cook until it wilts. Then add egg mixture, and stir until eggs are about halfway cooked, then transfer pan to oven, or if like me, you don't have an oven safe pan, scrape it into a pie plate, top with cheese, and bake at 450 for 5 minutes, or until it's set. It makes 4 heaping helpings.

For dinner, I originally intended to serve short ribs, but I was too late getting them into the crock pot, so this was plan B:

Some italian sausage- I had a pack of chicken pesto sausage from Trader Joe's, and a similar sausage I picked up at Giant- it had no crazy ingredients, and was semi-local to boot (made in Baltimore).
A few small zucchini, sliced pretty thin
1/4 medium sliced onion
A few shakes italian seasoning
Chicken thighs
A handful of garlic cloves

Marinara sauce- I make my own because the ones without sugar and crappy oils are super pricey:
1 big can diced or crushed organic tomatoes
1 small can roasted diced tomatoes
A few TBS extra virgin olive oil
A handful of garlic cloves
1 tsp celtic sea salt
A few shakes of italian seasoning (yes, I'm a lazy measurer; measuring cups are so neolithic anyway)

Start with the sauce; just dump everything into a saucepan and simmer on low heat for at least 45 minutes. When you're ready to serve, puree CAREFULLY! I used my Smart Stick. After starting the sauce, put chicken thighs in a roasting pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and italian seasoning, and haphazardly sprinkle in some whole garlic cloves. Bake at 425 for about 35-40 minutes (this dinner would be totally fine with just sausage and veggies; I added the baked thighs just to make sure there would be enough to go around). Brown the sausages over medium heat until cooked through; about 15 minutes. While the sausages are cooking, saute the zucchni and onion slices in some clarified butter (over medium-high heat) for about 5-7 minutes, depending on your preference of done-ness. Then just put everything on a plate (don't forget the roasted garlic from the chicken thighs!) and smother in marinara.

Coconut Scallops & more Cannibalism...

2011-02-17T13:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't collected many interesting tidbits lately to make a whole Link Love post, but I just came across this nifty piece about British folk from almost 15,000 years ago eating each other and making cups out of the skulls! I wonder if they drank tea out of them...

Now that I've ruined your appetite, check out these scallops! I got a fantastic deal on some scallops at the grocery store, so I picked up a pack- I think they were mislabeled as bay scallops for $5/lb; couldn't pass that up. I dipped them in some beaten egg white, and then rolled them in some unsweetened, dried coconut, then pan-fried them in coconut oil, just until they were golden brown on both sides. I made a sauce with some homemade mayo, some ginger, a splash of tamari, & a little fresh OJ, and served them with some veggies from the freezer, and a side of steak!

Coconut Bars / Hand Scrub?! Repost from old site

2011-02-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

I got this idea from thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com; used mostly the same ingredients, but switched up the ratios because I didn’t want it to be too date-heavyI soaked the almonds overnight- I have read that soaking (“sprouting”) nuts makes them easier to digest.

You might notice this recipe is very fat-heavy and probably has a lot of calories- be not afraid! For one, these bars are quite filling, so I don’t find it difficult to eat them in moderation. Secondly, almond and coconut are so good for you! Well, almonds are kinda good for you; they do have calcium, magnesium, & some protein, and coconut is believed to be antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal, among many other things.

8 organic Medjool dates, pitted
1.5 cups raw soaked almonds
¼ cup +1 TBS melted coconut oil(I like Nutiva brand)
2 TBS honey
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (this will give the bars a little lemony essence; can be left out if you don’t want that)

-Grease a small baking dish (9x9) with 1 tbs coconut oil
-In food processor, combine half of almonds, dates, remaining coconut oil and honey, pulse till it’s pretty smooth (like a chunky almond butter). Scrape into medium mixing bowl.
-Add coconut flakes and stir with a wooden spoon. When you see this isn’t working too well, get your hands in there and combine everything. This should be pretty moist and the consistency of a stiff cookie dough, and should hold together pretty well if you squeeze a handful of it (it will set up pretty well in the fridge later). If it’s not holding together, stir in a little more melted coconut oil (it gets solid at room temp, to that will help it firm up).
-Dump it into your baking pan, and press down firmly so the mixture is really packed down, then cover with plastic and pop it in the fridge to set up for at least an hour.
-The most important part! Go by your sink, and before you rinse off, give yourself a little hand massage! The almond and coconut will exfoliate your hands, and the fats from the nuts and coconut oil are a great moisturizer. You can even use coconut oil on your skin for everyday use if you feel so inclined (I recently started using a little on my hair as a de-frizzer).
-Once they set, you can cut into bars (3x3 squares seemed pretty easy to handle). Be careful when you lift them out of the pan; they’re a little delicate. These can keep in the fridge for six days according to the original recipe, enjoy!

Puppy Bowl 0-Alarm Chili (with kitty halftime show)

2011-02-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

Yeah I'm not much of a football fan; I prefer Animal Planet for the big game :) I figured this was just as good a time as any to try my hand at chili, and it went a little something like this:

1 lb ground bison
1 lb stew beef (I get mine from http://www.vermontgrassfedbeef.com/)
1 somewhat large onion, chopped
a handful of garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 big (22oz?) can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 small (14oz?) can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 TBS cumin
*if I had any, I would've added a couple tsp of chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
a couple tsp of salt, or to taste
a few TBS clarified butter

Begin by putting some butter in a large pot, and cook the onions, garlic & spices on low-med heat for about 15 minutes, until they get golden brown. Brown the meats while the onions are cooking- I cut up the stew meat into smaller chunks and browned them briefly over high heat to get some color on them, then add all the meats into the pot. Then add the tomatoes and herbs, simmer on low for about 2.5 hours, until the stew meat is tender. I topped mine with some Kerrygold Blarney Castle cheese. Super easy, and even better the next day! Sorry, no pic of this one; it looked like chili.

Deviled Eggs, Remastered

2011-02-02T10:24:00.001-05:00

Who doesn't love deviled eggs? They're great for breakfast, a snack, when you want to be the popular girl at the party ("oooh, who brought deviled eggs?!" etc.) While the paprika-speckled classic ones never get old, it's fun to mix it up a little. The above picture is Fat Guacamole Devils; just sub some mashed avocado for the mayo & mustard, and throw in some cilantro! I brought these in for an office Halloween party; they were a little scary-looking (which is why I figured Halloween was a safe time to drop these jokers on the co-workers) but went over pretty well! A few weeks ago, I made bacon-infused deviled eggs; just used some homemade baconnaise in the mix. They would be great with some bacon crumbled on top; mine didn't last long enough for me to do that, let alone take a picture of them. The devilish possibilities are endless!

Breakfast of champions- for dinner! Repost

2011-01-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

This summer I joined a CSA for the first time. "CSA" stands for "Community Supported Agriculture;" it involves paying a lump sum to your local farm prior to the season, and they then provide you with a "share" (a box of assorted produce, and possibly flowers and/or eggs) each week throughout the summer. It can be a little risky, as the farm cannot guarantee successful harvests, but I thought I'd try it out, as I had recently discovered that I have a local organic farm that offers this option. Well, I've started getting my shares, and I've been really pleased! I decided to split the share with a dear friend, because the boyfriend and I didn't want to risk having to eat ten pounds of heirloom tomatoes every week; seems like it was a good move.

The first box was zucchini, yellow squash, Yukon Gold new potatoes, sweet onions, cucumbers, a bag of herbs, and a bag of squash blossoms. I'd never heard of squash blossoms as an ingredient; the farmer suggested cooking them with eggs, so I figured an omelette dinner would be a great way to incorporate all of my spoils into one meal.

*A word about eggs- I believe it is important to have high quality eggs. When I get them from the store, I always choose organic eggs and I prefer to get local pastured eggs when they're available. The local chickens roam around on grass, as nature intended, and their eggs are cheap to boot! They often cost half as much as the organic grocery store eggs (or if you're as lucky as me, you have a friend with hens!)

Contrary to popular belief, the terms "cage free" and "free range" are not synonymous with "pastured." Cage free hens, while not confined to cramped, filthy cages, are likely confined to a cramped, filthy henhouse and do not get fresh air and sunlight. Good eggs come from happy chickens! Here's Mark Sisson's Egg Purchasing Guide- he breaks down all the labels; it can be a bit confusing.

Squash Blossom Omelette with Home Fries and Salad

Omelette:
2 tablespoons butter (I like Kerrygold cultured butter)
3 eggs, scrambled with a tablespoon of cold water
3 squash blossoms; 2 chopped, 1 left whole
1/4 cup each jullienned zucchini, yellow squash, and chopped onion
1 tablespoon feta cheese

Home Fries
2-3 yukon gold new potatoes, chopped small (about 1 cup)
Fat of Choice (FOC) for frying- I used grapeseed when I originally made this, but now recommend some ghee or quality lard
Salad with Green Vinaigrette
2 cups torn romaine
a few slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion
feta cheese, to taste
8 genoa basil leaves
a few sprigs of fennel leaf
1 leaf anise hyssop
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 TBS raw apple cider vinegar
2 tsp honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

-Start with the potatoes; they take a long time! Add about 1/3 cup of oil to the pan, and heat to medium-high (or medium if your stove runs hot like mine). Add your taters. Stir them every couple of minutes, and cook until they are golden brown, then drain on paper towels and season to taste. This will probably take about 25 minutes (speed up the process by nuking them for a few minutes first).
-I threw together the salad next, set aside in the fridge
-Make the dressing: blend together herbs, mustard, vinegar, honey, oil, salt and pepper (I used my trusty Smart Stick) I had never made a dressing from scratch with fresh herbs, and it was WONDERFUL. The next day at work I snacked on cucumbers dipped in this stuff.
-While the potatoes are almost done cooking, start the omelette. Sautée the veggies in butter for a couple minutes, then add the chopped squash blossoms and cook for a minute more. Set the filling aside.
-Add a little more butter to the pan to melt, then pour in your eggs (take a few minutes to really whip the eggs well; it'll make for a nicer texture)
-Stir the eggs gently, moving the cooked bits from the edges toward the center.
-Once things look pretty solid, but the eggs are still a little runny on top, add your filling and feta cheese.
-Fold the omelette as best you can; I just folded it into thirds, and flipped it seam-side down.
-Open third blossom, and lay down in the pan to cook for a minute, just until it gets wilty.
-Transfer omelette to your plate, and lay the third blossom on top so it looks pretty :)
-Top your salad and potatoes with Green Vinaigrette, and revel in the seasonal goodness!

Link Love

2011-01-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

Dr. Eades tweeted the other day that General Mills is reporting that Americans need more whole grains! What's next, Budweiser takes a survey and determines that we our blood alcohol levels are dangerously low, and we need to drink more beer? Hopefully the masses will consider the source...

I was a little concerned about all the bruising I've been getting from deadlifting, so I asked about it on PaleoHacks and pretty much everyone recommended I acquire some tall socks. These will work with my Vibrams, pretty nifty! I have a birthday coming up, *cough*.

One of the toughest things for a newbie to wrap their mind around, IMO. Decades of being told vegetable oil=good, animal fat=bad can be a tough concept to shake! I love this primer on fat from Balanced Bites; tells you what's good, what's bad, and WHY.

Deadlifts, Presses, and Confit, oh my!

2011-01-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

Well, the aforementioned chicken confit turned out amazing! I salted the chicken thighs and drumsticks, put them in the crockpot over a few scoops of lard, and also dropped in a handful of garlic, and some roasting herbs wrapped in cheesecloth. I put it all together and stuck it in the fridge before bed, then started cooking before leaving for work in the morning (a little before 6:30). The boyfriend dutifully turned off the crockpot a little before 3:30 pm, and I tried a piece as soon as I got home, and it was wonderful. The garlic I had added was caramelized to perfection, and the chicken was falling apart. I chopped up some cauliflower and garlic, drizzled it with a few tablespoons of the fat out of the crockpot, and roasted it at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, then blended it into mashed cauliflower. Then I had some chicken with the cauliflower. It was so good, I had to call one of my girlfriends as I was eating it, and tell her what I had done. She said to me "are you crying over chicken?!" This stuff is RICH though; halfway through my small plate, I had to stop, or I may have keeled over. I'll definitely have to make this again; it's super easy, and a great winter meal.

In gym news, I was perusing the Whole9 site and came across their 603 PTP program and was intrigued. While I do believe in mixing up the ol' fitness routine (i.e. don't have a fitness routine), I do see the merits of focusing on foundational movements like the deadlift and press to get stronger. I still can't do a pullup, so I am open to trying something different to get there! I'll still be mixing in kettlebell swings and other fun stuff, and I'm looking forward to seeing how much more I can deadlift in 3 weeks. I guess I ought to figure what my 1RM is; I started out the program doing 105lbs, and I was slightly sore the day after, so I think I'm pretty well on target.

Food bites...

2011-01-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

I have a crockpot full of chicken confit going at home, and I am quite excited about it :) I've never made, or even eaten it before, but the post from huntgatherlove is promising fried-chicken-like goodness, and that sounds good to me! I think I'm going to have it with mashed cauliflower (will probably roast it with some garlic and blend with the Smart Stick- that gives it a nice creamy texture) and some kale (most likely prepared in the residual grease). So that shall be dinner! For breakfast, I brought some eggs I prepared last night; I lined a muffin pan with bacon, cracked an egg in each cup, and baked at 350 for about 15, almost 20 minutes (yolks were nice and soft on top, a bit more done on the bottom). I think next time I'll need to pre-cook the bacon for a few minutes, but they were great. Lunch is tuna salad (made with onion and homemade mayo) in boston lettuce leaves.

I bought a duck at the grocery store last night, so that's on deck for the weekend, and will make meatballs with mushroom sauce tomorrow (probably with some veggies roasted in today's confit fat, mmm!)

Massive weekend fail and feedback

2011-01-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

I already fell off the Whole30 wagon, and am feeling a bit disappointed in my lack of resolve. I have completed monthlong detox programs in the past, and can be very disciplined, but I made the decision to have a few NorCal margaritas over the weekend. I went to a dear friend's house and we feasted on grassfed steaks, roasted sweet potatoes, and grilled asparagus. But, under the evil influence of said margaritas, I had a big bite of cornbread smothered in butter! That was the worst part because I am totally getting gluten and dairy out of my system, and plan to find out if I have a dairy intolerance also. So, I've started over, and I'm ok with that because I don't feel like the Whole30 is some kind of food prison; I love everything I've been eating, and I feel good about my workouts.

Winter grilling glory :)

I received a big order from http://www.vermontgrassfedbeef.com/, and I felt like a kid on Christmas morning! I got a bunch of steaks, ground beef, some nitrate-free pork sausage, roasts, short ribs, cow heart, liver, and a few lbs of pig fat, which I rendered into lard. That was a fun project, but the boyfriend didn't appreciate the lingering smell, so I'll have to keep that for the warmer months so I can open the windows while it's cooking. Also, we went to a meditation class at Evolve Yoga & wellness on friday evening, which was great. I thought we would just stay for half an hour (an hour of meditation is a lot for newbies!), but the instructor spent some portions of the class discussing different techniques, etc., so it went by pretty quickly. For the most part, I feel pretty good about the weekend; just need to take this thing one day at a time!

I'm doing the Whole30!

2011-01-13T14:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I have finished my heavy cream, stuck the pastured butter in the freezer and am not feeling tempted by cheeses, so it's time to hunker down! I began my Whole30 program two days ago (click on badge at the top-right of the page for all the info) because I feel pretty good, but want to feel great! At the end of the thirty days, I'm going to try adding dairy back in, and I'm hoping it goes well. I've never been one to chug a glass of milk but dammit, I love butter, and coffee without cream just doesn't do it for me. As for coffee, I'm playing around with that, and may cut it out for awhile as well. I stuck a can of coconut milk in the fridge, and have been scooping some of the cream from the top into my coffee, but it just isn't the same, and when I drink it, I yearn for real cream and a packet of truvia :( I'm one of the lucky few that doesn't need coffee to function, but I love having a hot drink in the morning on my way to work, so I may just switch to green tea; that way I won't feel like I'm having a sub-par version of what I really want.

Eating has been pretty easy, despite the beautiful apple cake that has been sitting on the table behind me at work! Here's the breakdown of what I've been eating:
Breakfasts- Deviled eggs made with homemade mayo, eggs fried in avocado oil w/bacon, apple/almond butter "pancakes" (crap! Paleo-fied treats are not allowed! I don't have an emotional attachment to pancakes so this wasn't a derailment to me, but from now on I'll save these for after the 30 days)
Lunches- Big salad topped with veggies, grilled chicken, olive oil; baked chicken and kale; I'm drawing a blank on tuesday's lunch, I know there was salad involved...
Dinners- Tuesday night was burger topped with caramelized onions, with sautéed kale and sweet potato & parsnip oven fries, last night was ribeye steak with roasted broccoli, and left over kale & fries. Boyfriend doesn't like kale, so I've eaten a whole pot of it these last couple days!

Food porn

2011-01-12T09:47:00.000-05:00

I've finally uploaded and sifted through a bunch of food pictures from the summer and fall; here's what I ate!

Oil-poached salmon (cook on LOW in olive oil for about ten mins) with cucumber, avocado, and blanched asparagus! Dressing was almond butter with some ginger, garlic, a little rice wine vinegar (shhh), sesame oil, and a little water to thin out.

Ribeye steak topped with boursin cheese, mashed cauliflower, sautéed courge loungue squash with onions. I think I see some heirloom tomatoes in there too. The squash was from my summer CSA; it's a delicious French variety.

Candy-cigarette alert: coconut-macadamia cookies! Based on Elana Amsterdam's recipe, but with some chopped macadamias and unsweetened coconut instead of chocolate chips. I'd also sub honey for the agave, and maybe use a little less oil, or a little more almond flour.

Bunless burger with bacon, caramelized onions, & havarti, with a side of some Alexia potato wedges with minimal ketchup.

Pancakes topped with peaches and real whipped cream- I'd recommend omitting the agave.

Repost- Shrimp Fajita Salad

2011-01-06T13:52:00.002-05:00

*Delicious salad recipe from the old site*

I made some paleo fajitas a couple weeks ago, and it was pretty delish, but the pile of meat and onions just felt…incomplete. So the other day I figured I’d incorporate some raw veggies and make it into a salad, and it was even better! I did use bottled dressing for this (Honey Lime Vinaigrette); in a perfect world, I’d make my own, but we gotta choose our battles! I didn’t feel too bad about this because with all the guacamole, I only needed a couple little sprinkles of the dressing.

I feel good about eating this because not only is it super tasty, but it’s full of protein, healthy fats, and some fiber. I absolutely love avocados- I've been known to eat several in a week, and guac is so good on salads. This salad also has lots of cilantro, which is believed to help us detox heavy metals; I recently read that drinking cilantro broth can help with mercury poisoning, pretty neat huh? I know, this recipe looks super long and complicated for a salad; it’s really not! It has a few steps, but it’s super easy, I promise! *The salad filling also makes a wonderful wrap in a collard leaf*

Makes 2 servings

For salad:
½ lb raw shrimp (or some high quality steak, chicken, or a combo if you’re feeling sassy)
½ medium onion, sliced
Handful of mushrooms- I used a few slices of portabella and chopped them up (Fajitas typically have peppers, but I just can’t stand em!)
1 head romaine lettuce
1 medium tomato
Handful of cilantro, chopped

Guacamole:
1 avocado
Juice of ½ a lime
2 TBS chopped cilantro
1 small clove of garlic, chopped super fine

Marinade
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (I like Colavita organic)
2 limes
2 huge cloves of garlic, smashed
A couple shakes of cayenne and cumin
Handful of cilantro, chopped

First, cut your 2 limes into quarters, squeeze the juice into a bowl, and drop the limes in. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients; just do this an hour or two before you want to start cooking or the lime juice will turn your shrimp into ceviche (if using meat, marinate for a few hours or overnight). Then add your shrimp, and pop into the fridge.

When the shrimp are almost marinated to your satisfaction, make the guacamole:
-Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, remove the pit
-Scrape the avocado into a bowl (I like to score it into cubes while in the peel- makes the mashing phase easier)
-Add garlic and cilantro, squeeze in ½ of a lime
-Mash with a fork to desired consistency (I like mine chunky!)
-Stick in the fridge until ready to serve (about half an hour so the flavors can marry)

After that, prepare the salad:
-Wash lettuce and tear up into pieces
-Chop tomato and remaining cilantro
-Toss together with a little dressing (if you don’t want to use bottled, I’d just whisk together a little lime juice, a tablespoon of honey, and a couple tablespoons of good olive oil)

You’re almost done! Time to cook; ideally I would grill this stuff, but I live in an apartment and didn’t feel like cleaning the Foreman:
-Heat up a couple TBS of oil to medium/high heat (I like to use coconut oil; I believe it has a higher smoke point than olive oil, and I think the flavor is nice in this recipe)
-Add the sliced onions, cook for a few minutes until they are starting get some color. If using peppers, I would add them at this time
-Add the marinated shrimp, and mushrooms if you are using them
-Cook everything for about two or three minutes, until shrimp are opaque

Put it all together:
-Pretty self explanatory; plop some salad on your plate, add shrimp/veggie mixture, and top with a heaping helping of guacamole. Olé!

The obligatory New Year's post

2011-01-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I can actually say things will be different this year, and truly mean it. The last week of 2010 was a game-changer for me; I have gotten a not-so-friendly reminder that life is short (don't worry, everyone's ok!), and I don't want to waste another minute feeling less than my best.

Call me selfish, but I've gotten pretty good at putting myself first. I was brought up to have good boundaries and to not feel like I have to make everyone else happy. I don't think you can really be a great partner, parent, friend, etc. if you do not meet your own needs. Always put on your own oxygen mask first, right? If you're feeling exhausted, it's ok to cancel your plans sometimes. If you're offered a piece of food that will make you feel like crap, there are many gracious ways to turn it down. Give people a little credit; most can take this stuff in stride and not think you're a horrible person. And if they can't, well, are they really worth your concern? Your life is yours, and we all have to deal with the consequences of our own choices; why make crappy choices just to make others happy, while you take the fallout? It's old news, I know, but it never hurts to remind myself of these things, and I hate to see others complicate their own lives over co-dependent BS!

How are you going to take great care of yourself this year? I am doing the Paleo challenge for January; I'm getting extra strict so I can see how much better I can feel. I've been pretty well with avoiding grains, but I need to get more strict about small amounts of gluten (breaded stuff, soy sauce, etc.), and starting next week, I will be cutting out dairy as well; I don't drink milk but have some cheeses and heavy cream to use up and I just can't afford to waste food in the name of some arbitrary start-over date (oh, and NO ALCOHOL! I've had enough over the holiday season :/). So far so good; I made some pulled pork, kale, and roasted sweet potatoes on Sunday, and I've been having leftovers for lunch. Boyfriend got Chinese food the other night, so I had him get me some shrimp & veggies without sauce or rice; I added a little tamari and ginger at home. Intermittent fasting is going pretty well; I like having my coffee with cream on the way to work, but I've been bringing green tea, then having my coffee sometime after 8am when the "feeding window" begins. I'm off to a good start, looking forward to an uber-healthy year! :)

Link Love

2010-12-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

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.

The Double Down Repost

2010-12-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

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!

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!

Fuzzy Food Porn

2010-12-17T13:37:00.000-05:00

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.

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!

Warrior Dash is Coming to Town!

2010-12-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-12-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

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!

My new place!

2010-12-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

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!

Queen of the Stone Age

My Extreme Kitchen Makeover

Are You Well Fed?

And so the years passed, as they do somewhat regularly...

Bacon & Onions with Liver

#prettygirlproblems

Probiotic Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

Thankful I won't be doing THAT again any time soon!

I like to Mov it- Mov it

I can has pullup!

Some hearthealthywholegrains!

Primal PSL

Adventures in babysitting and grocery shopping

Petite Medallions with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Fall is back with a vengeance, and so am I!

Life-changes, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes, Oh My!

#AHS11

Chicken-Artichoke Salad

Today in: What Grinds my Gears- Barbell Edition!

Onward and Upward

Pardon the interruption...

One week down!

Fancy Omelette for Two

Whole30- Just Checkin' In

Almond-Crusted Cod

I'm doing the Whole30! No BS this time!

I've got a Golden Ticket!

Mushroom Burger with Parsnip-Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Roasted Duck Salad with Berry Vinaigrette

Coconut Chicken Curry

Lovely lunches

Super-fancy chicken

Anchovy+Raw Egg= Crazy Delicious

Really?!

Sidelined, and more salad!

Local produce-gasm!

My Whole9 Virtual Workshop Experience!

Food Pr0n

Sexy side dishes

Asian-inspired Salmon Salad *Repost*

Birthday Funtimes and Forging Elite-ish Fitness

Chocolate Salty Nuts, and other snacktime favorites!

Paleo and Crossfit featured on Nightline

The best short ribs I've ever made...

It's a double recipe, all the way!

Coconut Scallops & more Cannibalism...

Coconut Bars / Hand Scrub?! *Repost from old site*

Puppy Bowl 0-Alarm Chili (with kitty halftime show)

Deviled Eggs, Remastered

Breakfast of champions- for dinner! *Repost*

Link Love

Deadlifts, Presses, and Confit, oh my!

Food bites...

Massive weekend fail and feedback

I'm doing the Whole30!

Food porn

Repost- Shrimp Fajita Salad

The obligatory New Year's post

Link Love

The Double Down *Repost*

Fuzzy Food Porn

Warrior Dash is Coming to Town!

My new place!

Asian-inspired Salmon Salad Repost

Coconut Bars / Hand Scrub?! Repost from old site

Breakfast of champions- for dinner! Repost

The Double Down Repost