Feel Good Eating

Food, Love and Last Post

2010-09-09T08:27:00.000-04:00

Let's address this in reverse order. Yes this is the last post...........it's the last post on blogger ;-)
Next new post will be on http://www.feelgoodeating.com/. I just have to set up the feeds and we should be good to go. My E-book is almost done and the new site is practically finished. There will be some tweaking over the next month, but my aim is to keep it simple, easy on the eyes and quick access to information.
I hope to see all of you there and please feel free to share your input. I always look forward to all of your comments and emails.

"A fool in love makes no sense to me. I only think you are a fool If you do not love."

I read this quote the other day and it really made me smile. It had no known author.
LOVE....from music to literature to art, philosophy, religion, cooking, raising children etc etc etc........love is possibly (I'm convinced love is all there is, but that's just my opinion) THE key component to finding your slice of happiness. So as I read the above quote, I got caught in a 10 minute thought process about all the areas of life it applies to. So what about you?? Are you in love? Do you love your work? Do you love your parents? Do you love your dog? Do you love doing the dishes? Do you love where you live? Do you love your exercise routine?? Go find that love!!! Or even better...REDISCOVER it, and see what happens.

Anywho ;-) BACK TO FOOD....

Delicious seafood meal;

Smoked salmon and roasted red pepper soup, blanched asparagus tossed with lemon olive oil

sauted shrimp with garlic chili sauce.

Tuna tartare over cucumber salad.

See you on the other side......
http://www.feelgoodeating.com/

Morning Marinade and a thought for the day......

2010-08-31T08:25:00.001-04:00

Before going to work this morning, I quickly marinated some chicken;

Chicken breast, cilantro, garlic, cumin seed , lime juice and yogurt.

Cover and refrigerate. For dinner you can put it on skewers and grill, or just get a skillet nice and hot and prepare that way. The chicken will be moist and tasty either way

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life, you will have been all of these" George Washington Carver

Cream of Mushroom Soup

2010-08-30T07:40:00.001-04:00

Home made cream of mushroom soup.

Saute half a large yellow onion in butter until translucent. Add 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Next add a package of sliced bella mushrooms (about 1.5 cup). Dash of salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are soft. An extra pat of butter might be needed. Add a heavy splash of red wine. In a sauce pan, I reduced about1.5 cup of bone broth to about half and added that too. Let it reduce a bit more and then add about a 1/3 of a cup of heavy cream. Mix well and cook together for a minute or two. Transfer to blender and puree.

I saved some of the cream of mushroom/onion goodness to spoon over my burger.

And lastly a very simple meal of rotisserie chicken with a cucumber salad.

Coming up my thoughts on fruit and "carbs".

Happy Monday everyone

Primal Bento Box and New Site

2010-08-19T07:44:00.000-04:00

I wish I had one of those nice Bento boxes to show you...but the other morning, I looked at my to go container and just thought "Primal Bento" for some reason.
A bit of fresh cod, left over chicken with tzatziki and a bit of guacamole.
Oh the joy of eating this type of breakfast at work. NOT. I hadn't had the disgusted looks in a while, but I think I could have sold tickets to this show. If they only knew how good it tasted.

This is how I prepared the cod loin.

Pour some evoo in a skillet and keep the heat low. Let the oil warm a bit and add the piece of cod loin. Now with the heat so low, it will take a good 8 minutes or so per side (if not more). Once flipped and the second side almost done, add a small teaspoon of tomato paste. Let that warm a bit and mixt it with the evoo and juices from the fish. Now add a tablespoon of a dry white wine. Gently break the fish apart into large "flakes" and gently fold everything together. Super tasty.

As I had mentioned a few days ago, Feel Good Eating is moving on up.
http://www.feelgoodeating.com/

Take a look. It is not ready yet, and I'm still learning wordpress and all its capabilities, but let me know your initial thoughts if you have an extra minute. Is the layout ok? The colors? Suggestions? Advice?
Some of my last posts are not up there yet.

Make it a great day and SMILE a lot.

Parents, Food and Flavors

2010-08-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

When I was young, I was lucky that my dad and mom introduced me to many different cultures. They enjoy good food and as kids always had my sister and I try everything they ate. I will admit that when you're seven, chocolate butter on toasted bread is a lot more appealing then raw herring with onions for breakfast. But...at least I tried. When my son recently tried some monk fish liver, I was happy to realize that I'm carrying on the tradition. Even though he didn't care for it, he had a second morsel to make sure.
So, I was a Dutch kid, my grandma was French and I lived in Italy. My wonderful parents were/are also cursed with a "wanderlust" that had us travel quite a bit. I was fortunate to travel all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. During those formative years, my parents really immersed me in the "flavors" of those different cultures. From food, to music and the languages. One of my favorite memories of those times, was my dad waking me up late at night or early morning on vacation, and venturing out to the local market. He loved trying to talk to the vendors (eventhough he only knew a few words in some those languages) and buying and sampling their food. I'm convinced that my love for people was cultivated on those late nights and early mornings. What I've been hit with lately, is that all those different wonderful "food flavors" I was exposed to, really formed my palate also. My parents taught me to have no fear trying to communicate with people, even if you suck at speaking their language. Even though they never spoke of these things and showed by example, it was their way of being spiritual. To connect with people from all cultures and all walks of life. My dad could talk to everyone and my mom could connect with anyone......they make quite the team.

Lately when I've been cooking, I'm using ingredients and flavors from all over the world and combining them to make some pretty tasty fare. Here's an example of cultures coming together. Chicken with a miso, tahini and garlic glaze.

In Japanese cuisine, sesame seeds are used in abundance, but tahini is not part of that mix. Tahini is the way the Middle East incorporates sesame seed in their cooking. Europe and the Middle East love their garlic, yet the Japanese traditionally use no garlic. Guess what? Miso's amazing flavor pairs well with a bit of garlic, add the tahini and you got a flavor explosion. I used a similar concoction for the salad dressing.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm moving Feel Good Eating to wordpress and to celebrate, I will put a few very very unique recipes (never posted before and including the miso, tahini and gralic chicken) together in a free e-book.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Be nice and maybe try making a dish with ingredients you've never attempted to combine before.

Breakfast and Change

2010-08-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

I just love bacon and eggs!!!! And a few slivers of drunken goat cheese. Good breakfast enjoyed outside on my front porch in the fresh air. I was up at 4 am. Did a little meditation then went for a work out. Followed by a 15 minute power nap, then breakfast and off to work.

Big changes coming to Feel Good Eating. Thanks to my wonderful friend Steve, Feel Good Eating is going to wordpress and hopefully will soon have the look of a respectable blog.

It's been overdue, thanks for hanging with me this long and I will let you know shortly about the change.

Make it a great day

Rant with a pinch of Hope

2010-08-10T07:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, I don't do these type of posts often, my last rant was about Vitamin water a long time ago. Yet this news really caught my eye;

This is the inside of the new PopTart store in New York City

A poptart store/restaurant!!!! Come on now! This is a new trend, M&M and Hershey's have a large retail store now also. Wow, I just can't wait to make poptart sushi

Holy Hell!

An now for my always positive look at life.....(there's always an other side to things)

Maybe, just maybe our eating habits ARE slowly changing. For companies to invest like this in extremely expensive retail operations that basically serve as advertising billboards, basically tells me that they are finding new ways of pushing product. Which most likely means sales are off. Which for our children is a good thing...I could of course be very wrong.

The Tao and a Tasty Treat

2010-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

"Let the world unfold without always attempting to figure it all out. Let relationships just be, for example, since everything is going to stretch out in divine order. Don't try so hard to make something work...simply allow. don't always toil at trying to understand your mate, your children, your parents, your boss, or anyone else, because the TAO is working at all times.When expectations are shattered, practice alowing that to be the way it is. RELAX, let go, allow, and recognize that some of your desires are about how you think your world SHOULD be, rather than how it IS in that moment. Become an astute observer, judge less and listen more. Take time to open your mind to the fascinating mystery and uncertainty that we all experience."

Thank you Dr. Wayne Dyer, for the above passage. Early mornings are a good time to read. They can set the tone for your day. And sometimes, when you wake up already "stressing" about the day ahead of you, reading something that appeals to you (self help books, poetry, the bible, affirmations) will make everything "line up" a bit better for you. Try it sometime.

a tasty treat from yesterday afternoon;

Chorizo chicken sausage sauteed in butter with sliced fresh fig. Served over 2 thin slices of pao de queijo and 2 little slices of drunken goat cheese.

Truly Simple Meal

2010-08-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Anyone can do this. Please give it a try sometime and let me know what you thought.

In a large skillet heat up 2 slices of bacon cut up in bite size pieces. When bacon (bacon cut from the butcher works better than packaged bacon, as the pieces are a bit thicker) pieces are showing first signs of browning, add a 1/4 of yellow onion (sliced). When onion is starting to get translucent add 2 small or 1 large clove of chopped garlic. Stir together. Next add about 6-8 ounces of ground lamb. Stir well and watch closely so you don't over cook the lamb. When close to done add about 1/2 teaspoon of tomato paste. Again stir together. Next add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream. Heat for just another minute and serve.

I kept a close eye this time on how much of everything I was using so that you could try it. Again don't overcook the meat. So the last step of adding the tomato paste and heavy cream is all within about 90 seconds before taking pan off the stove.

A really satisfying dish.

I had a little side of cucumber salad with it. Drizzled with evoo, fresh ground pepper and a dash of sea salt.

What are some of your "truly simple meals"?

Motivation

2010-08-04T08:16:00.000-04:00

Just a few positive notes I wanted to share today. And hopefully, it will motivate and inspire you to keep making the choices that empower and make you FEEL GOOD.

I found a large index card yesterday when I was cleaning up a bit and it read as follows;

"Realise that the hardest step in achieving anything, is making a true commitment, a true decision. Carrying out your commitment is often much easier then the decision itself. Don't labor forever over the question of HOW or IF you can do it"

Thanks to wonderful google I found out that I copied this from a Anthony Robbins book years ago (mid 90's I'm guessing). It's a book called Awaken the Giant Within.

I have read a lot of "self help" books over the years, and ultimately they pretty much all spell out the same thing with different angles. What ever self help/personal growth book you might be reading at the moment, I urge you to apply it to your life. We all have fallen guilty of reading to much of the same material and gathering more and more information. From what we eat, to what exercise modality, to what were supposed to think.....yet....we just intellectually masturbate with those ideas and while we're keeping our thoughts busy with those issues....very little action is taken.

Do any of you remember when I first started this blog almost 4 years ago and I tried to help one of my best friends to loose weight? I helped her to the point of cooking her daily meals for her and hand delivering them.
At that time, she was just "carrying out the commitment" to eat my way, but a "true decision" was never made. And so, it was only a matter of 1 month that she stopped her commitment and the weight she was desperately trying to loose, never came off and even worse, started accumulating even more. Well, 3 months ago she finally made a TRUE DECISION, and with the help of a very good MD, she decided it was time. She has lost 37 pounds so far, and there is no stopping her now. She is finally going to get what she has wanted so bad for so long. Because she made a "TRUE COMMITMENT".

Yesterday's post over at Zeroing In On Health had a sentence that really caught my attention

"Consider that the average adult loses roughly 300 billion cells to old age every day and must replace them. Our bodies are literally manufactured out of the food we consume".

Read that a few times and tell me you would still want to eat that donut. If you have made yourself a true commitment, a sentence like the one above has so much meaning, that it will only reinforce what you've committed yourself to. If you haven't made that true commitment, you can, and we all have, read sentences like this all day long. They pique your interest, but you don't utilise or integrate them in your belief system.

I challenge you to make a TRUE COMMITMENT today. I promise you that if you do, you will be amazed with the change it will bring.

And.....back to some food ;-)

Lately I have been experimenting with a post workout meal. I'm not sure if you can really call it post work out, as I eat it about an hour after a morning workout. I used to fast till about 1-2 pmn after a 7 am work out, but for the past 2 weeks, I have been eating about 1/2 cup of full fat greek yogurt. I add a heaping tablespoon of turmeric to it. (I also add some scallion, fresh ground pepper and sea salt)
Turmeric is one of nature's inflammation fighters.
I've notice 2 things from this little "n=1 thinkering" (hat tip to BRENT).
I seem to have a bit more "volume" in my muscles and my next meal of the day is very "energizing". I have a feeling the "carbs" in the yogurt swell my muscles a bit and the probiotics in the yogurt must have some effect on that next meal. Don't know how much longer I will continue this, as I like to keep it random, but wanted to share my experience.

A little plug for my beautiful town....
Just in case you're curious (our area has been economically hard hit because of perceptions and a continuous media onslaught) our beaches and Gulf waters are free and clear of any oil or tar balls.

Make it a great day and remember to smile!

Tomato Soup and Beef Jello

2010-07-27T07:34:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I made a big batch of bone broth. My preferred way is to use the crockpot. I let this batch simmer for 48 hours. After putting it in the fridge and letting it cool, I skimmed the fat (saved for later use) and made a bunch of individual portions and stuck them in the freezer. My kids call bone broth "beef jello". They love watching and helping me skim off the fat, and then putting the "beef jello" in ziplock bags. When your bone broth looks like "beef jello", you've been succesful in making a super nutritious broth.

Last night I made a quick tomato soup. In a saucepan bring your "beef jello" to a boil and reduce down a bit to intensify the flavor. (2.5-3 cups of broth reduced down to 2 cups, recipe for two people) Now add 4 diced roma tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, 1/4 of a red onion and 2 cloves og garlic. Fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste. Bring to a boil.

Next I transferred the soup to the food processor and pureed it.

Toss back in the pan and add a shot of heavy cream. (just add a little first, you can always add more)

It looks like the soup is very light from the cream, but it is the poor lighting for the picture that makes it look like that. Instead of the more traditional creme fraiche, I added a small dollop of greek yogurt.

I ate 2 nice bowls of it. If you are a person that doesn't sleep well if you eat late, see if soup has a different result. I didn't get to eat till about 9pm, which is usually on the late side to eat for me. But soup doesn't have the same effect as a meal does. Warms the body nicely for sleep mode ;-)

What do you like to make with your bone broth?

Sashimi II

2010-07-24T16:51:00.001-04:00

When you have the right ingredients, you can really make yourself "restaurant" food at home.

I made some more sashimi for lunch today. A quick visit to the Asian market to pick up a few supplies and I was ready. Since I'm mentioning the Asian market, go find yours where you live, you will enjoy it. They are very affordable and once you've shown up there a few times, the shop keepers won't ignore you anymore ;-) It is also a great place to buy unique and cheap produce. I picked up a very large Daikon, scallions and some small fiery fresh peppers.The Daikon has a much better and stronger flavor then the ones I get at the supermarket. Also picked up some good wasabi. One word of caution, asian products liberally use MSG, food coloring, HFCS, and other ingredients you might want to avoid, but they also carry products that DON'T have them, so shop carefully and read labels.

Here some more ankimo. I grated daikon and tossed a few scallions on it. Laid the slices of monk fish liver on top and drizzled with some ponzu sauce and a few more scallions.
The daikon with the ponzu sauce is a tremendous pairing.

I used to eat this little dish below at a very special japanese restaurant in New York. It was a true authentic sushi restaurant where no cooked food was served. It had authentic Japanese protocol, they did not take reservations and they were known for turning customers away when there were many open tables available. They would turn people away, because they had so many regular customers, that they knew for example that a certain customer would come around 7 on a Thursday night. They had no menu's and no prices. The sushi chefs were unbelievable.Many times when I sat down at the sushi bar they would serve a little dish immediately with out me asking. This was usuallly a bit of salmon, cucumber scallion and some soy sauce and sesame oil. So this is what I tried to copy today.

It came out well, I really enjoy the combined flavors.

And lastly, just some salmon sashimi and scallop (Hotategai in Japanese).

I'm not a huge scallop fan, but I love raw scallop. If you eat raw scallop, make sure you buy yourself the freshest you can find. Store in the fridge wrapped in paper towel. The paper towel will get all the moisture out of it and will result in getting maximum flavor.

Now what should I make for dinner?

Sashimi, Salad and a Silly Band Queen

2010-07-22T12:17:00.003-04:00

I don't live in a big city as you know, so my sushi restaurants locally are not the greatest. Don't get me wrong, they're ok but just not fantastic. Sadly, they are all pretty expensive. So every now and then I treat myself to an order from Catalina Offshore Products. (no compensation) They are located in San Diego, and sell some terrific products, including some of the best Uni (sea urchin roe) I have had. When you sign up as member, you will receive emails with specials. I took advantage of one of those specials and ordered some wild California King Salmon. Now the product is frozen, but let me tell you how good this is. I have a friend who is a chef and he laughed at me that I ordered frozen fish. He said "I can order you anything you want fresh". Yes folks, fresh is better then frozen, BUT.....I brought my "non believing" friend a small sample to try and I can tell you he was blown away.
Take a look at this nice fatty salmon sashimi;

This salmon is so tasty, you don't even need soy/tamari sauce and wasabi. I had some with and with out. I also put a tiny dollop of garlic chili sauce on the salmon instead of tamari and wasabi dip. Delicious.

I don't know if you have ever tried this in a sushi restaurant;

This little treat is called "Ankimo"

It's monk fish liver. It is sometimes called "foie gras of the sea"

A bit of ponzu sauce really let the flavors stand out.

A quick home made ponzu sauce you can make (and use for many other dishes) is just adding some lemon juice to your soy/tamari sauce. It makes for a nice change of flavor.

When you order this as an appetizer in a sushi restaurant, it usually costs between $9.95 and $15.95. A whole roll from Catalina costs $15.99. Ahhh affordable sushi/sashimi what could be better?

Life can't always be filled with the above delicacies, and other days we make do with the basics. Like a salad.

Just a nice lunch salad consisting of romaine lettuce, cucumber, peppers, red onion and salami.

Dressing is just some evoo and fresh ground pepper and a dash of sea salt.

And here my Silly Band Queen

Amazing isn't it? Some one decides to manufacture some plastic bracelets in all sorts of shapes and becomes a multi millionaire pretty much over night. Has this crazyness hit your area too?

"You can get everything in life you want.....if you will just help enough other people get what they want"

Meals

2010-07-13T07:39:00.000-04:00

Smoked salmon with avocado and cucumber salad

Probiotic cucumber salad/soup

Bacon and scallion. Toss on a spinach salad with some evoo and mustard

They sell this at Costco. Some of the best canned wild salmon I've tasted.

Lamb with shaved broccoli, onion, peppers and garlic.

Brazilian cheese bread "pao de queijo"

One of my favorite home made treats off all time. Tapioca flour, butter, cheese and garlic.

You could use these to make "sandwhiches" also. Stuff them with some precooked spicy ground beef or shredded chicken.

"TRUE NOBILITY IS NOT ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE......IT IS ABOUT BEING BETTER THAN YOU USED TO BE"

Thank you and Barefoot Running

2010-06-29T15:12:00.000-04:00

I wan't to say THANK YOU again to all of you that took the time to share your thoughts with me in regards to the "HELP" post. Thanks to all of you, I am starting to formulate a plan of action. There were some specific comments that really helped me see through some things and provided me with a different outlook.
More to follow on all of that.

Next; Bare foot running.
Matt Metzgar who's blog I have been reading for years, continues to provide insight, fresh ideas and up to date information. I really appreciate the fact that Matt will question and or take a step further some of the findings and studies. He has a tremendous e-book called Stone Age Power and if you have never read his free e-book, you're missing out.
Keep in mind that the e-book was written in 2002, so some of the information contained there in, probably does not jive completely with what Matt knows today.

Matt has recently posted about barefoot running and his own experiences with it. He made me aware just late last week, about a new book called Barefoot Running. The author is on a tour across the country, teaching people how to rediscover the joy of running, and promoting his book. Last week I happened to check the authors website and low and behold, they were going to be in Naples on Saturday. With out Matt, I would have totally missed the opportunity as there was not a lot of promotion about it locally. Hosted by a local running store, the talk was at 1pm. Kind of neat when you think about it...a running store hosting a talk for a guy promoting the fact that you don't need shoes. Anywho, I went to the talk and enjoyed listening to Michael Sandler,his fiancee and co-author Jessica Lee. Michael has a wonderful story to tell. He got very hurt in a somewhat freak accident years ago, and ended up with a titanium femur and hip. (there are more body parts missing, but I don't want to ruin his book or one of his talks for you, in case you get to go). After he was told he would never run again, he tried to, but it resulted in more and more injuries. Through information from the same Harvard MD, that the author of Born To Run refers to in his book, Michael tried Barefoot Running. I have not read the book yet, and I didn't get a chance to buy it on Saturday as I had to duck out a bit early because I didn't want to miss the World Cup game between the US and Ghana.
The story doesn't end there....

Yesterday I was at my office and I took a quick walk around the perimeter of my hotel. There I notice the Barefoot running trailer. I think to myself, "cool, they must be staying here". Just as I had that thought...Michael comes walking out of one of the side doors of the hotel to walk his dog.
Isn't life beautiful ;-)

I introduced myself and thanked him for the talk on Saturday. We met up again inside and I was able to assist Michael with some information he was curious about. I in return got some alone time with him and was able to ask him a few pointers and questions.
When I came into my office this morning, there was a Barefoot Running book on my desk with a card and a really nice inscription. It reads as follows: To Marc, Keep being a pioneer in your five fingers. The world may catch on, but down here, you'll always be the first. Teach those kids well, run light, run free and have fun!"
It's so nice to meet REAL people with warm and caring hearts. Both Michael and Jessica were an absolute pleasure to be around and they live what they teach. If Barefoot Running comes to your neck of the woods...don't miss the opportunity to spend some time with them.

http://www.runbare.com/ or http://www.barefootrunningbook.com/ (the book is being praised as THE handbook for barefoot running, by the likes of barefoot Ted and Danny Dreyer author of ChiRunning)

And yes, of course I took my shoes off for the picture ;-)

Help

2010-06-22T08:50:00.000-04:00

So I have an idea...

And I'm looking for your ideas, suggestions and expertise.

CrossFit has come town and is blowing up. The little gym (a bit more fancy then the traditional box set up) almost maxed out on members, has just leased two new spaces in the plaza where they are located and are expanding their facility. Eventhough the membership price tag is quite high, they are selling memberships like hot cakes. CrossFit has adopted the paleo/primal diet (don't like that word, but using it for point of reference) as their diet of choice. I think...correct me if I'm wrong, it evolved from the "Zone diet", which I'm sure many found to complicated and restrictive.

So here's my idea, with commercial real estate at an all time low here, I'm thinking of opening a tiny space in the same plaza and opening my little "Paleo Grill".

Restaurants (food ventures) are notoriously bad investments, but....there are some that make it right?

So what do you think? I would serve simply grilled meats, seafood and poultry of all kinds and creative veggie side dishes.

Remember, I don't live in a big city. Foot traffic is non existent, so that eliminates a lot of business. The aim would be to create a "hub" or a "cafe" feel for the little community here that eats paleo/primal. Could a smaller community sustain such a business? I have always believed that if you do what you love, the money will follow. This is NOT about the money for me, but doing something you love to do. However, the financial reality is that I don't want to end up being a Walmart greeter at age 70 just to make ends meet together with my tiny social security check.
So what do you think? I appreciate any and all comments.

I would serve this type of meal for sure; marinated grass fed sirloin steak with side of guacamole.

Grass fed sirloin steak thinly sliced and marinated in the following; fresh garlic,onion,ginger, lime juice, toasted sesame oil and a tiny bit of jalapeno and sea salt.

This batch was made in the cast iron skillet

It cooks nice and quick as the lime juice has taken care of some of the cooking process while it was marinating.

Top with fresh cilantro, red onion and another squeeze of lime juice.

Fish and Sweet Potato Soup

2010-06-21T07:25:00.000-04:00

Someone asked me the other day if I like soup. I love soup. I especially love cream and coconut milk based soups. I like the thicker texture. An easy way to make thicker soups is to add some potato.

When it comes to soup, your stock is KEY. Tasty stock = tasty soup (well most of the time anyway)

On Saturday I made fish stock with the shrimp heads and shells I had saved. Making stock is easy and my criteria is as follows; make stock so flavorful, that it can stand on it's own. Meaning you can give someone a spoonfiul, and they say "hmmmm that's good soup".

Try this for fish stock;

Cut onion, celery and carrot (this is called mirepoix in classic French cooking). You want onion to be twice the portion of the celery and carrots. In butter (butter is best here for flavor) cook the mixture. Don't let it brown, but let it sweat until translucent (onion that is). Now it's time to get Feel Good Eating creative.

Next I add a heavy splash of white wine. I let that all simmer a bit. Next I added half a red jalapeno, dill and salt to taste. Let that all cook together a bit, stir. Next add your shrimp heads (or fish head and or fish bones etc). I really like shrimp heads for stock, the flavor is just a tad different then fish head and tail.

Mix all ingredients together well. Now add water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer. I let it simmer for an hour or so. If there are people in your house that don't like fish...you might want to have a little talk with them...as this stock WILL make your house smell nice and fishy. When done, pour your stock through a mesh colander. Now you have delicious fish stock to make soups with. The stock should have a dark color to it.

So Sunday I used the stock to make a salmon and sweet potato soup.

In a pan gently heat the stock. Add half of a thin sliced and peeled yam/sweet potato.

Once the sweet potato is soft, transfer to a blender and puree. Transfer back to the pan again and add a splash of heavy cream. Next I opened a can of salmon and mixed that in with the soup, stir and heat.

Dice a bit of red onion. Add a teaspoon of Fage (greek yogurt) and top with the red onion.

Gourmet on a budget. The canned salmon works very well with this.

The stock is perfect for a nice coconut soup too.

Have a great week!

Naughty

2010-06-17T07:28:00.000-04:00

I wrote a post a few weeks back (you can read it Here) about home made food. I also gave the link for Dr. Eades post on eating out and the importance of cooking at home. To take those posts/thoughts on step further, there will times when you are craving some naughty foods. Maybe some bar food with a cold beer. Most "naughty" foods in restaurants are made with franken oils, cheap ingredients, loaded with omega 6 and usually fried in oil that doesn't get changed as often as it should.
If you happen to be in the mood for some of the naughty stuff, make it yourself at home. Here's my naughty treat from last night...

I was delighted a while back when I was given this very cool kitchen gadget;

It's a "jalapeno griller". How cool right? It's in the shape of the great state of Texas.

I had bought some jalapenos at the farmers market, so with another cool little tool that was part of this gift (a de-seeder) I de-seeded them. I then made a mixture of some home made cream cheese (easy to make, and so much better then store bought) , bacon, onion and raw pepper jack cheese.

I stuffed the peppers with the mixture, set them in their holder and got them going on the grill.

The tooth picks are there to prevent them from slipping through the holes and for easy removal when done, these jalapenos were fat enough to not slip throught the holes.

This is one amazing naughty little treat.

Spicy warning. If you don't handle spicy well, make sure you buy jalapenos at the supermarket and NOT the farmers market (or similiar). Supermarket jalapenos are much milder then their farmers market counter parts. When you see jalapenos that have "lines" on them, pay attention. The "lines" are called HEAT cracks. The more "lines" the spicier the pepper.

What do you make at home that fits the "naughty" bill?

World Cup and a Vitamin D surprise

2010-06-15T10:49:00.000-04:00

I hope all you soccer (football) fans are enjoying the World Cup. I don't watch a lot of tv, but every four years I'm glued to the tube. I was only 7 when Holland lost to Germany in the finals, but I remember it like yesterday. Since 1974, I have watched pretty much every game of every World Cup. On the days Holland plays, I wear my orange shirt and orange hat, and much to the dismay of kids and friends, every chance in between for the next 4 weeks. I took my daughter to watch the USA vs. England match at a local pub, and I think I might have converted her into to a full blown fan. She did grab my arm during the game at one point, as I was yelling at the players to swing the ball left, and calmly looked at me and said "dad, they can't hear you". It was a good Saturday afternoon.

With all these soccer festivities, I will drink some more beer then usual. I don't make a big deal about it, but I do counter it by staying strict with my food choices and activity levels.

Simple dinner. Salad with romaine lettuce tomato, carrots, red pepper and celery. Grandma's dressing with a touch of white wine. Freshly grated reggiano parmesan. (not strictly paleo...but the k2 is in there)

I bought fresh shrimps (with heads on) and made the following. Low heat cooking; a bit of evoo, add onion and garlic. Because of the low heat, you will have time to prep your other food. I diced up red pepper and added that. Pinch of sea salt to taste. I cleaned and cut my shrimp into bite size pieces. (saved all the yummy heads to make some stock). Next I added a bit of lemon juice to the pan, and then a splash of white wine. Add the shrimp and mix well. Now I added a bit of "vodka sauce". (tomato sauce with a touch of vodka).
It was delicious.

I don't eat a lot of fruit. I tend to eat my fruit in season, and summer time is for blueberries, peaches and watermelon. I love an ice cold piece of watermelon out of the fridge on a blazing hot day here. The trick is not to overdo it I think. Don't eat a lot of fruit in one sitting. Just a taste. My sweet tooth doesn't exist anymore, I crave savory things now, so it's easy for me to eat half a sweet georgia peach or 2-4 chunks of watermelon, so be careful. It's easy to over indulge on the sweet summer fruits.

This little treat will last me through my office day when I'm in the mood for a little taste of something.

About a week and a half ago, I sent away for a Vitamin D test from ZRT Labs

If you order it through the Vitamin D Council website it will save you $10. ($65 vs. $75)

My results just came back. 63. That's in decent range. It got me thinking last night though. I live in a sub tropical climate. I probably get more full body sun then most of you (I do work in an office for most of the day, but I will take a shirtless run or walk), but I still need to supplement to get my levels to a respectable 63. I like this article for some solid information.

Dr. Eades just wrote a great post, reviewing the book "The Vitamin D solution". I understand it won't be out till October, but I look forward to getting my hands on it. So how much Vitamin D do I take and what brand you ask? (maybe you didn't, but I will tell you anyway ;-) )

I take Carlson Vitamin d3 drops 2000 IU. Most days I take either 4 or 6 thousand IU's. I don't take it on the weekends, as I am outside a lot and getting sun. I have not been sick or had a cold 3 years! The times this past winter where I felt I needed a boost, either because of air travel or 4 sick kids at home, I upped the dose some.

Do you take vitamin D3 and how much? Do you get your levels tested?

And last question; do any of you practice the inner smile? Would you like me to share my experiences with it?

Have a great day.

Primal, Paleo, EF meals and Fitnes

2010-06-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

In a pan saute onion and garlic in ghee. Next add some fresh chopped tomato. Splash of white wine. Let simmer a bit, add a few olives and hot smoked paprika powder and a dash of salt . Now lay a few slices of meat on top, small splash of water, cover and simmer. When almost done turn up the heat and add a splash of heavy cream. Mix it together. I guess not many people eat this for breakfast....I do though ;-)

I was hungry for something tasty in the morning and was still hungry from the mini triathlon.

The other night I made the dish below. In butter sauted lots of onion. Then added the cut up meat (for both these meat dishes I used top round) Stirred it around a bit, then added a splash of red wine. When almost done, I added a large handful of baby spinach.

I love this kind of breakfast; I cut up (with kitchen scissors) 2 pieces of bacon, it cooks quickly this way, then add diced up asparagus, tomato and a bit of onion. Push the veggie bacon mix to the side and add 2 eggs. Reall satisfying and tasty. Sometimes I will put a tiny bit of goat cheese (feta can work too) on top of the eggs to change the flavor up a bit.

I've always been a bit hesitant posting an "in the flesh pic"

But thought I'd share this one of me coming out of the water Sunday at the end of my race. Eventhough I have quite the grimace on my face...as I had just almost face planted in the sand a step before...believe me when I tell you that I enjoyed myself tremendously. (I'm the short guy in the back)

Make it a great day!

Mini Triathlon (reverse order)

2010-06-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

Well, Sunday morning is here, and I have to say that I started getting excited about this little race around 3 pm yesterday. It's now 5:15 am E.S.T, I'm not sure if my mum will read this, but she would say, are you nuts? ;-) Why get up on a Sunday morning so early and go for a 5K run, 15K bike, and 1/4 mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico.

It's already 80 degrees at 5:15 am, and my windows in the house are foggy due to the condensation from the heat and humidity outside and the cold airconditioned air inside. 9 years ago it was a new experience for me to see that, now it serves as a barometer. I know it's over 77 degrees outside and that the humidity is at 100%. I prepped up my little race bag last night and all I have to do is make my water bottles (one filled with coconut water per Keith's suggestion) and put my bike in my car.

It's a beautiful morning and decide not to turn the ac on in the car, but open the windows and get used to the outside air. There were 800 people in this reverse mini triathlon. 5K run, 15K cycle and 1/4 mile swim in the Gulf of Mexico (our beaches are free and clear in case you're curious). Parking was a bit disorganised, so I parked about a mile away from the registration area and just rode my bike over.
The "vibe" was wonderful as I had expected it to be. There were of course some serious folk that live and breath this stuff, and they had the very high end bicycles and aerodynmaic helmets to show for.
I will tell you that I felt pretty cool once they painted my race number on my arms and age on my calf.
Now I had to enter the "transtion" area and find my parking spot for my bike, helmet and bag.
The sun was coming up and it was just gorgeous. The transition area was on part of the golf course at the hotel that hosted the event.

Lots of folks were milling about and I could tell that some folks had been running this race for years. I recognized a bunch of folks I know in town and it was nice to make some small talk. With about 20 minutes to go, I put on my ipod shuffle and started to get myself a bit psyched up. My aim for this race was to come in with a respectable time of 1 hour and 15 minutes. I would have been ok with 1:20...but not totally satisfied.

Some training background info. I have a bicycle, but not a road bike. I grew up in Holland, and since I rode my bike so much out of necessity as a kid, I don't ride for fun. I figured I would need a road bike for this, so I rented one for a week from a local bike shop. Over the course of a busy week, I got one practice run in and rode for 4.5 miles. Thanks to the advice of several Feel Good Eating readers I ordered (way to late) a swimming program called Total Immersion. Great stuff!! I just never really got a chance to practice. I figured that a quarter mile swim (once around a highschool track) is do-able even doggie paddle style ;-)

As for the running, I ran in a 5K memorial day race. I ran that race in 24:43. I ran a very slow 5K on Wednesday with my buddy to check out the race course (33 minutes). What I did continue were my regular work outs at the gym and on my little sprint field by my house. So over the course of the last few weeks, I jumped rope, sprinted, did my pull ups and push ups, box jumps, some heavy lifts, dips etc and a lot of plank work. I smiled a lot ;-) focused on all the good things in this world....and was just excited to give this thing a go.

One promise I made to myself was to really rock the 5K. I figured it was the one part of the race where I might be able to put some distance between myself and the other "real" competitors.

That's my little borrowed yellow helmet you see there.

7:30 was fast approaching and between all the people and the oppresive heat, I was sweating just standing there while waiting for the gun to go off. I was ready....I spotted a runner that I've seen before and I know he runs 7 minute 15 second miles, so I set my sights on him. And we're off!! I felt strong, but was careful not to start bobbing and weaving trying to pass people......yet. Keeping my eye on my pacer, I followed and accelerated. I was nice and focused and really into it ;-) I heard someone say something about mile 1, I missed the sign and the water and had no clue how fast I was going. (the joys of being a rookie) I was still right behind my pacer and the crowd was noticably thinning. I did see the mile 2 marker and thought to myself "dang, I'm feeling pretty good!" When we made the last turn back to the hotel grounds....I decided to go for it and I stepped up my pace and passed my pacer. He never came close again, and I felt euphoric as I came across the finish at 23 minutes!! I couldn't spend a lot of time gloating about my new PR, (a full minute faster then my last pr) I had to get to my bike and get my helmet on. Took a few big swigs of my coconut water and walked to the road where you were allowed to mount your bike. It felt great to get on the bike...I was so happy I didn't have to run anymore. I got going and pushed hard. I took it a bit to easy in hindsight, but i just didn't know how my legs were going to react after the run. I was AMAZED how fast people were passing me. Some of those guys and gals were going 30 miles an hour on a bicycle. But I didn't get discouraged, I kept going. I pushed it hard for the last mile or so and when I got to the transition area I was amazed to see the time clock.....57 minutes! Yes! I did it. It was my goal to get in the water at the one hour mark, and hopefully it would only take me 15-17 minutes to swim. I put the bike on the rack, tore of my shoes and socks (ran in my trusted Nike Free's), grabbed my goggles and took off toward the beach. A lot of folks were tip toe-ing the 1/5 mile run to the beach, but thanks to my barefoot walking and sprinting, I was able to cruise right on over with out worry. I got to the beach and saw;

That really put a smile on my face!!!

I hit the water hard and then......I realised I was WAY out of my league. ;-)

Who was I kidding, you can't just swim hard for a 1/4 mle with no training!!! But...thanks to my practice of not listening to thoughts you don't want in your mind/life...I said screw it and flailed away. quickly decided that I was going to have to breast stroke this thing. and I did. I took one look at the buoy and just kept swimming. After the first turn, I was already sick of this swimming thing ;-). But I realised I had one of two choices. Swim or drown. I chose swim ;-)

I felt my triceps swelling up, and thought to myself, BRING IT ON. I do dips with 65 pounds, let's go water!

I got closer to the beach and the finish line and all of a sudden I felt ground/sand below my feet. I ran out as fast I could, almost face diving into the sand, and there was the line and the clock. 1:11. (one hour 11 minutes)

I have to tell you I felt fantastic. A full 4 minutes faster then the goal I had set for myself.

After the race everyone congregated on the big lawn of the hotel and they had some live music, lots of fresh fruit and drinks, and a buffet with eggs,bacon and sausage. It was a really nice set up.

One of the markers in the distance.

I had a great morning! I will try and do some better training next year and I look forward to it already.
My "hunger" is completely out of whack...And I'm about to devour 2 racks of ribs. Besides from plenty of water and some of the coconut water I did the race in a fasted state. Last meal last night was around 7. Meatballs with some tomato sauce, salad with home made evoo,mustard,white wine and garlic dressing and a few beers. Besides from Ian in the UK, who's a real iron man....have you ever tried one of these?

Thanks for reading.

Shrimp and Bacon Spinach Salad

2010-06-02T11:53:00.000-04:00

Here we go;

See below, this is so easy. In a skillet/wok, heat your cut up bacon. I use a pair of kitchen scissors. Makes it quick and easy to do. When done remove with a slotted spoon. Now that you have some nice left over bacon grease, you can use it to quickly saute/fry your shrimps. Take the shells off, and devein them. Cut them in half if they are good size.

Grab your salad bowl and toss in a few hands full of organic baby spinach. Add sliced cucumber, one medium tomato, half an avocado and 2 scallions. Add the bacon.

For the dressing; in a small bowl combine extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic,mustard, lemon juice and a bit of white wine. Mix it together well. Put your shrimps on the salad and drizzle the dressing over your shrimps first. Now toss the salad all together.

Voila!

One great summer dinner.

"You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”

RUMI

Paleo Sushi

2010-06-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

I don't think I have ever shared this with all of you, but this is another easy, simple and tasty way of tossing together a Feel Good Eating meal.

Instead of rice, I use cauliflower to make some sushi rolls. Boil cauliflower, mash it up and add some butter. If you make a large batch, it's nice and easy to keep in the fridge for a few days, and you will have your "sushi rice" ready to get creative. You can of course add a dash of rice vinegar to the cauliflower, but no worries if you don't have it. It doesn't really need it. (I didn't add it in my last batch).

Grab your handy dandy sushi mat, (if you don't have one, you can easily make one out of a piece tin foil and saran wrap, it works perfect also.) I like to cover mine with some saran wrap, the mats last longer that way and clean up is easy. Put your piece of nori (seaweed) on your mat and spread out the cauliflower all over.

Next I made a bit of spicy mayo. A bit of mayo mixed in with chili sauce. Spread that all over the rice/cauliflower.

Then I added a few scallions, thinly sliced cucumber and avocado. Let your imagination run wild here. It's super tasty with thinly sliced left over grilled chicken.

Roll, roll, roll away...

and your left with a delicious home made sushi roll.

Don't worry if it doesn't come out perfect, you can eat it with knife and fork or chopsticks. The perfect roll will come with a couple of tries at it. If you do manage to get a nice roll, wet your sharp knife blade before cutting, it really helps keep the nori intact. The above roll usually has some salmon in it, but I didn't have any and I was hungry. Or, in really hot coconut oil, fry up a few pieces of fresh shrimp and add to the roll. Exquisite!

Sorry about the terrible phone pictures, but wanted to share.

SMILE

Happy Memorial Day and a 5K

2010-05-31T12:18:00.001-04:00

A day that means a lot to my family and I. Without our courages young American soldiers and their heroic act of storming the beaches in Normandy...there is a good chance I would not be sitting here blogging today.

My gratitude is forever yours. Thank you.

Quick 5K this morning. Felt good to get a run in before next Sunday's mini triathlon.
It was a beautiful morning and a nice course in one of our local parks.
I felt solid running today. That's me in the white shirt just coming through the finish line (24.43. came in 4th in my age group) Ran in my Nike Free's.

Cod Loin Filet

2010-05-25T07:23:00.000-04:00

You don't need a whole bunch of ingredients to make an extrememly tasty dish.

Cod loin filet sprinkled with some red pepper flakes, seas salt, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and some garlic chili sauce.(for the portion of fish you see, only use 1 tbsp soy and sesame oil. 1 teaspoon chili sauce).

On some tin foil on the grill or you can make it in the oven also. Watch it closely, don't overcook it. About 1 minute before it's done, put a little pat of butter on top of the filet. (ignore the kikkoman soy sauce, it's not good at all, but it's all I had as back up. Buy the wheat free tamari, it's much much better tasting and better for you)

Some cucumber and scallion salad to go along for a cool fresh bite contrasting the spicyness of the fish.

An attempt at a close up.....

A nice full plate. Also 2 large grilled asparagus.

This was the first meal of the day around 12:30.

The tin foil method below. I sometimes make shrimp like this also.

The weather is gorgeous here today, about 90 degrees with that nice breeze through the palm trees. Perfect for some outside play.

I still get crap for not eating crap.....and.....some fishy advice

2010-05-24T09:33:00.000-04:00

Sad but true. People actually give me a hard time for not eating the "crap" they eat, and like to let me know all about the "crap" I eat.

Yesterday I did a little shopping at Whole Foods and ran into a personal trainer I know from the gym I go to.
As he saw the contents of my cart (2 packs of butter, bacon, fish, grass fed beef, lamb sausage, heavy cream, full fat greek yogurt, olives, asparagus, garlic) he couldn't help but give me a disaproving glance. I wasn't going to say anything, but he started it ;-) I will call him PT.

PT; "oh...you on Atkins?"
Me; "No, I'm hungry, and I know I shouldn't be shopping hungry, cause I always end up buying the bad for me foods" PT not too bright and quickly comes back with;
PT; "you know... if you eat 6 small meals a day, you won't go hungry"
Me; "I haven't eaten since last evening's dinner, and I worked out this morning, I just want to go home and eat" PT now a little irritated and confused, decides to fall back on a bit of ball busting.
PT; "What's up with those "water shoes" (vff)? I see you wear those in the gym, do you swim or something?
Me; "I'm actually just learning how to swim"
PT; "huh?" (with a face to match the huh?)
Me; "I mean I can swim, but I'm learning HOW to swim properly, for a mini triathlon 2 weeks from now. It's a program called "total immersion" have you heard of it?"
PT; "No. but if you keep eating like that (points to cart), you're going have a heart attack soon"
PT chuckles (cause he got the last quality comment of the conversation in) and gives me a wink, and moves on.

I went home and made a delicious cod loin filet on the grill with melted butter. A garlic and mint lamb sausage with some yummy home made tzatziki.

I don't know about most of you, but I just don't really like making fish inside the house. Possibly because I don't have a good stovetop exhaust, but it just leaves the whole house smelling like fish for the rest of the evening. So here's what I do, it works especially well with flaky fish.

I drizzled the cod loin fillet with a bit of evoo, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Next I heated the grill, and just put the fish on a piece of tin foil on the grill. When close to done, I added some butter on top. No flare ups, easy clean up and no fish faling through the grates of your grill. Cod loin fillet is a great buy this time of the year. It's not farmed, and cost is about $3.50 a pound.

Out of season...

2010-05-17T07:44:00.000-04:00

It's starting to get hot here, sadly this means much of my local produce is gone gone gone.

No more avocados from my friends tree, no more kirbies (small cucumbers), no more scallions so delicious you could eat them as a meal.

The last of the last for now, local Florida avocado with a kirby salad and grilled chicken thighs.

Question for the day; how do you fare with caulliflower? I noticed that it "bloats" me a bit. Now I don't know if that is because I just eat to much of my fav caulliflower rice or if it just doesn't agree with me. Would be interested to get your experience.

Happy monday everyone and make it a good week. What goals have YOU set for yourself this week?

It's been a while and Fitness challenge.

2010-05-12T07:45:00.001-04:00

Did you miss me? ;-)

It's been about two weeks since my last post. I just have not had a lot to share. Work has been surprisingly busy for this time of the year, (not complaining at all, it's a good thing) and the days seem to have been flowing into each other without much excitement. I am suffering from a bit of spring fever. The weather has turned here, and the days are filled with 85 degree weather, blue skies, tropical breezes and balmy nights. At work, when 3 o'clock comes around, I often get distracted and start thinking about some beach sprint and a swim followed by a nice cold beer. This weekend I will share some video so you can see for yourself what I mean. If we get lucky...I will capture some manatee snorts or dolphin frolicking.

I hope you all are taking advantage of Diane's great site Modern Paleo. It's a wonderful resource for information sharing and a easy way to keep up to date on many great paleo/primal sites. Also make sure you sign up for the google group. Thanks to that, I got a GREAT link yesterday to a NY Times article by Mark Bittman I often forget what a tremendous resource Mark is when it comes to straight forward simple and tasty recipes. He didn't dissapoint in the latest NY times article where he shows some ASPARAGUS PESTO. That's right, asparagus pesto. So that's what I had for dinner last night with the kids.

Decadent to say the least and super easy!

I bought some cod loins. 350 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes. Just a tiny bit of water in the dish for moisture and 2 heaping tbspoons of quality butter. Easy enough?

Now for the pesto. Wash and cut your asparagus (one bundle) in to 2 inch pieces; boil for about ten minutes. They are done when you can insert a knife without pressure. Drain and save some of the water just in case.

Toss this SUPER VEGGIE, (Art Devany has often said that asparagus are the king of the veggie kingdom, anybody have anything to share about that?) into your food processor and puree. Next add 1 clove of garlic and pulse some more. Next add about 1/3 cup of pine nuts (you can use walnuts too) and pulse again. Add 1/3 cup of the best parmigianna you can get your hands on.

Mix again and add some salt to taste. Next add the juice from a wedge of fresh lemon.

By now your fish is probably done. Cooked in delicious butter water ;-) spoon some of it over the top of the fish.

Look at that green goodness.

Spoon the pesto on your fish and enjoy. HUGE hat tip to Mark Bittman for this one.

I'm getting ready for a small fitness challenge her locally. It's a reverse mini triathlon. 5K run, 15K bike, and 1/4 mile swin in the Gulf of Mexico. The swimming part is killing me!!!! Do you swim? It's the first weekend in June and will keep you updated. It's good to be back and I missed you ;-)

Make it a great day and smile!

Chinese Food at Home

2010-04-21T06:53:00.000-04:00

Why at home? Because you control the ingredients and it's so much better for you. No need to sacrifice flavor on this dish. Spicy Shrimp thingy below;

This is real easy to do, so here it is broken down. About a pound of fresh shrimp (I eat a good amount of shrimp, simply because there is an abundant supply of the fresh stuff here where I live), asparagus, celery and onion. I used a wok for this dish. Fill your wok with water, get it to a boil and par boil your cut up asparagus, next your celery anf lastly a few slices of onion. Just use a big slotted spoon to remove the veggies when done and set aside. Next, in a small bowl mix together the following; 1 tbsp fresh garlic, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 2 scallions, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice cooking wine, dab of chili paste, 5 tbsp katsup, pinch of salt.

Get your peeled shrimp ready, and get coconut oil nice and hot in your wok. Add the shrimp and stir for about 2-3 minutes until nice and pink....don't overcook. Remove the shrimp. Add a bit more coconut oil and get hot again. I diced up 2 serrano peppers (if you can find chili peppers even better). Toss the peppers in the wok and stir until you can really smell the spicyness of the peppers....now add your little sauce and stir quickly. Next add the shrimp and your veggies. A few splashes of toasted sesame oil at the end. Mix well so everything is coated. Serve and enjoy!

Do you make your Chinese food at home?

Whey, Pickled Beets and Synchronicity

2010-04-20T08:06:00.000-04:00

Home made liquid whey. Or should I say liquid gold? I use it many different ways. If you're looking to get some more probiotics into your "eating" , this is one of the best ways in my opinion. There are many sites with info, so I won't repeat it all here. But Ms. Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, is a great place to start. I was not aware that whey was "prescribed" by Hippocrates some 2500 years ago. All I know is n=1. I tried for myself, and observed. Well, liquid whey is one of those "foods" that make you feel very very good. What's your mileage? Interesting blog here;
http://thenourishingcook.com/ The author of this blog, sets out to make all the recipes in the cookbook Nourishing Traditions.

I made the pickled beet recipe and it came out delicious! Liquid gold on the left, beets on the right.

Feel Good Living;

Synchronicity and Mr. Carl Jung. I'm sure you are familiar with the word. But for a refresher, here.
What do you think? Do you have a story to share? The way my life is unfolding, I'm just blown away with the concept. Invisible connections....are they possible? Well, we don't exactly see the connection between the remote control and our tv, yet it is real. Hat tip to Mr. Wayne Dyer for really pushing my nose in it ;-)
I read this a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it, so wanted to share.

"Nothing is Random"

Nothing is random, nor will anything ever be, whether a long string of perfectly blue days that begin and end in golden dimness, the most seemingly chaotic political acts, the rise of a great city, the crystalline structure of a gem that has never seen the light, the distributions of fortune, what time the milkman gets up, the position of the electron, or the occurrence of one astonishingly frigid winter after another.

Even electrons, supposedly the paragons of unpredictability, are tame and obsequious little creatures that rush around at the speed of light, going precisely where they are supposed to go. They make faint whistling sounds that when apprehended in varying combinations are as pleasant as the wind flying through a forest, and they do exactly as they are told. Of this, one can be certain.

And yet there is a wonderful anarchy, in that the milkman chooses when to arise, the rat picks the tunnel into which he will dive when the subway comes rushing down the track from Borough Hall, and the snowflake will fall as it will. How can this be? If nothing is random, and everything is predetermined, how can there be free will? The answer to that is simple.

Nothing is predetermined; it is determined, or was determined, or will be determined. No matter, it all happened at once, in less than an instant, and time was invented because we cannot comprehend in one glance the enormous and detailed canvas that we have been given - so we track it, in linear fashion, piece by piece. Time, however, can be easily overcome; not by chasing light, but by standing back far enough to see it all at once.

The universe is still and complete. Everything that ever was, is; everything that ever will be, is - and so on, in all possible combinations. Though in perceiving it we imagine that it is in motion, and unfinished, it is quite finished and quite astonishingly beautiful.

In the end, or rather, as things really are, any event, no matter how small, is intimately and sensibly tied to all others. All rivers run full to the sea; those who are apart are brought together; the lost ones are redeemed; the dead come back to life; the perfectly blue days that have begun and ended in golden dimness continue, immobile and accessible; and, when all is perceived in such a way as to obviate time, justice becomes apparent not as something that will be, but as something that is."

Author,Mark Helprin

THOUGHTS?

Food for the Day

2010-04-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

My meals on Sunday.
Johhny at The Lean Saloon had a short and sweet, great post late last week. Give it a look.

Two meals for the day;

Two eggs fried up in some bacon grease and scallions. Topped with grass fed raw cheddar cheese. 2 strawberries, a few slices of banana, tomato and some celery for crunch factor. This "breakfast" was filling and very satisfying.

"Margarita Steak"

Grass fed loin steak.....so many marinades, so little time ;-)

I was putting some wine away in my wine fridge, and noticed far in the back a close to finished bottle of "margarita mix". Left over from a part a while back, this mix has the tequila in it. So as I was about to throw it out, I thought: hey! perfect little marinade. I mean it has citrus and tequila. I cut up some garlic,onion and jalapeno and added that to the liquid. I marinated it for a day and a half. When I was ready to grill (used my charcoal grill for this one) I put the left over marinade in a sauce pan, boiled it and reduced it down a bit for basting purposes.

Yes, there is al ready a piece missing, had to try it you know?

Slice against the grain, nice and thin.

I used a "minimal" fire for this one. Direct heat, but not a blazing fire. Just some smoldering wood charcoals.
I also put a few small red bliss potatoes on the grill. Once the meat was done, I just closed the lid and let the potatoes cook a bit more. While the potatoes were doing their thing, I made a quick guacamole with tomato,onion, cilantro and a dash of garlic powder. (in the picture topped with a dab of greek yogurt). Nice salad to go along with it. The dressing I made will be topic for another post.

Coming up...Pickled Beets, Whey and Synchronicity.

Make it a great day

Creative Flavors and Jump rope

2010-04-15T12:22:00.001-04:00

Had a GREAT workout this morning. While I was enjoying my morning and my jump rope, I realized I wanted to ask all of you something; Do you jump rope? I don't know why it doesn't get talked about all that much anymore. This little piece of equipment has been around for so long, and even with all the fancy new methods of training, it's still a staple at EVERY boxing gym. If you have never done it, start slow. Give your body a chance to get accustomed to it. I think you will really enjoy it. It's so adaptable to all parts of your routine and fitness. It's nice to warm up with, cool down with, use as intervals etc etc. If you're looking to improve foot speed for your running or tennis for example, this is one way that has a solid proven track record.

So about an hour after my workout, I wanted something to eat. I was craving some good flavor.
Opened my fridge, and I was pleasantly surprised that I was out of pretty much everything. No eggs, no meat, no bacon. Not even an old slice of turkey, nor a freezer burned breakfast sausage to be found ;-)

Try this one;

The players; red cabbage, one scallion, miso paste, full fat yogurt and pepper (not pictured).
This is so simple and yet so decadent, you HAVE to try this.
In a bowl with a little bit of water, add 1 teaspoon miso paste and stir so it disolves. Next add 2-3 teaspoons of yogurt and fresh pepper to taste. Again mix well until nice creamy dressing consistency. (side note; I made some whey last weekend and so I added 2 teaspoons of liquid whey. You don't need it to make this work)
Slice yourself some red cabbage slaw and the scallion and put in a bowl. Pour your miso/yogurt dressing and mix it all together. I served it over 2 thick slices of Florida avocado.

Simple and delicious! Maybe even good for you. ;-)

Make it a great day and be nice.

Home Made Meals, Love and Dirt

2010-04-14T07:08:00.000-04:00

Last week Dr. Eades had a wonderful post. As always, it was straightforward, full of information and entertaining. I want to add one small word to the article; love. What struck me as I re-read the post was this:
"The only way you maintain control is if you do the cooking yourself. Plus, you’ll save a lot of money because it’s almost always less expensive to prepare it yourself. One of the best things you can do for your health (and your pocketbook) is to spend more time in your own kitchen"

We often forget this as we get caught up in our lifestyles of convenience. As I was rushing home to my kids yesterday, I stopped at the supermarket and picked up some ground meat, butter and cucumber.
Short on time, I looked at all the other options and almost gave in to some "all natural organic chicken nuggets and frozen meatballs" I even considered the "organic pizza". I was short on time, had to cook quickly, had to bring my oldest daughter to a study group, you know...
All the above pre-made items cost around $9 dollars. The meat I bought was $5. (not grass fed, but hormone and antibiotic free).
Came home, kissed the kids and started cooking. I realized in the middle of talking to all of them while cooking, that they were closely watching me. When they saw what I was making, I got cheers all around that said, "yay...home made meatballs".

It made me happy that they like "home made" better then "freezer bag".
What also struck me was the fact that the 30-40 minutes of hanging out in the kitchen before dinner, and talking to each other about our day, is a HUGE part of a very "grounding/calming" routine. When you toss the nuggets in the oven, that time is missing and everyone seems to scatter about to go do their own thing. The more I thought about this, the more I realised that it was the same for me growing up. I would sit on the counter and talk to my mom, while she prepped and cooked dinner. The next thought that then BLEW me away was the fact that by cooking...we literally infuse our food with love and good intentions. I think that this love/intention in some way makes our food even more nutritious and for sure more satisfying. I've read about this before, but I felt that thought last night.
Mumbo jumbo? What do you think?

Dirt,
You just can't find produce like this at the supermarket. It's too dirty ;-)

These scallions/green onions that I buy at the farmers market, are locally and organically grown.

You wouldn't believe the way these taste. See all the nice DIRT still stuck in them. Yes, they don't come in a handy dandy plastic baggy, nor have they had a quick little acid wash like the ones in the supermarket...but this is what REAL FOOD is supposed to look like. It takes a few extra minutes, to get these ready for your salad or cooking, but it's worth the extra time. I've come to realize that I realy enjoy that time cleaning and handling the food. Peeling garlic is very calming for me, so I don't buy the big plastic jar with pre-peeled garlic cloves.

Dr.Eades is spot on, make your own food most of the time. It will save you money and your health.

10K and Indirect Heat Grilling

2010-04-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

Woke up nice and early Sunday morning to go run a 10K I had signed up for.
I love that early morning "race vibe". Always a great group of people with tons of energy.
The "vibe" did me good as I was tired from not sleeping well the night before.
It was a beautiful flat course they had laid out through a very pretty residential neigborhood.

I had only ran once or twice since my last 5K. Well to be honest...just once. The other two times I tried running on the treadmill after a workout. I can't and won't do it ;-) I mean I can't even run a quarter of a mile on that machine and I truly hate every second of it. So I just give up. It just doesn't feel natural nor right.

It's strange...I don't consider myself a runner...my body doesn't really look like one either and I'm just not very good at it (I do enjoy it though) that thought made me laugh on Sunday morning as I thought of this picture.

I'm learning that every race is different...
This race I struggled to get going. I just couldn't find a nice pace and it seemed hard to run. But then a friend of mine (24 and a former women's college soccer player) tapped me on the back as she and her (personal trainer) boyfriend passed me. We exchanged a few words and then they got going. I decided to follow. After the first mile I asked her what our time was and she said about 8 minutes. I enjoyed being outside and my stride started to get easier.
The turn came a little after 3 miles and I was feeling good. So...I left my young friends behind. I picked up my pace and with some good music, really started enjoying this part of the race. At mile 5 I thought that I had been clocking some good time AND I was still pretty fresh. So the last 3/4 mile of the race...I picked up speed. I ran as fast as my legs could go and it felt awesome. I passed tons of people and it was a thrill to run this hard this late in the race. Went through the finish line and.........54 minutes. No wonder I was still so fresh, I couldn't have ran 8 min. miles with this kind of time to show for. And, knowing how fast I was booking for the last part, it must have been 9 minute miles. It was a weird sensation...I thought I had ran a pretty fast race, but it was not so. Time to get my self a cheap watch with a stop watch function ;-)
Has that ever happend to you?

No picture, but try this for indirect heat grilling. Piece of grass fed steak (I had a rib eye). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat one side with butter. Like you're buttering a piece of toast. Sprinkle butter with garlic
powder. Put on grill, butter side up over high heat. Watch closely for a minute, then transfer to indirect heat side of grill. Close the lid. After 5-7 minutes turn and close lid. Another 3 or so minutes (this depends on the heat of your grill obviously) and you're done. I also grilled a few slices of eggplant, that I chopped up and mixed in with some tehina, cucumber and tomato.

SMILE.

Grilling and Meals

2010-04-06T07:40:00.000-04:00

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the post yesterday. The whole "is grilling safe" issue really got me thinking as I grill a good amount.

Here's what I found interesting when Don said; "First, I put this in evolutionary perspective. Neither prehistoric people nor contemporary hunter-gatherers had equipment for grilling. Paleo people used baking, roasting, steaming, and boiling, not grilling. This means we have not had any time to adapt to the by-products of grilling." I dont have the research to back this up, but common sense would tell me that putting a piece of meat on a stick and holding it/positioning it over a fire would compare to grilling, no? But maybe we are just splitting hairs there. What really put things together for me was this response from Don;

"Yes, I agree. The majority of carcinogens get produced when juices hit the flames, which converts components of the juices into aromatic compounds that then get lodged in the meat, so a drip pan will reduce this effect"

My heroes when it comes to grilling are the Argentinians. The way they have perfected the art of grilling is so mouthwatering good, I would move there just to be able to hvae regular acces to it. Now what I find very interesting is that "flare up" (when the juices hit the flame) is an absolute sin when grilling the Argentine way.

My conclusion, if you grill often as I do, study the art of using in-direct heat. More to follow on that subject. What do you think?

Lunch and dinner;
I really love this type of salad; red leaf romaine lettuce, with some scallion, garlic, cucumber. Olive oil and a bit of dijon mustard ties it all together. I cut up some left over lamb and quickly warmed it in some butter. Wonderful lunch.

So for dinner............

Oh heavens was this good ;-)

Again some left over lamb with fresh shrimp simply sauteed in a bit of butter. Added a teaspoon of vindaloo paste (have you tried it yet?) and then a splash of heavy cream at the end.

Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into. WD

HumGuac

2010-04-05T06:29:00.000-04:00

That's what I called this little concoction.

Using the last ingredients in my fridge, before going to the farmers market on Saturday, I made some zucchini hummus and added the last half of a Florida avocado. Hum-Guac.

Really simple and super tasty. Great on it's own or spoon over shrimp, meat, chicken.

Did you read the latest post (Grilling is it safe) on the Healthy Cooking Coach? The interview with Don M. from Primal Wisdom is a must read. What's your opinion on it? Give me some of your thoughts and I will share mine in my next post.

Make it a great week!

Must Marinate & Secret

2010-03-31T07:42:00.001-04:00

Looks pretty good right?

The reality is that skirt steak/flank steak needs a marinade and some time in the fridge to break down the tough fibers. I went to the market after work, and was craving skirt steak. So made this, without it having marinated in the fridge for a day. As flavorful as it was (I melted some cheese over the asparagus), the texture/consistency was to tough and chewy.

I treated this humble skirt steak with a few dashes of toasted sesame oil and a table spoon of Vindaloo paste.

Yes, you read that right, vindaloo paste. I will let you in on a little secret...guard it closely ;-)

I use vindaloo paste a little differently then it's intended use. Normally people use it to simmer meat so that it becomes a saucy dish. I use it as a "rub" for meat, lamb and chicken. I can honestly say that I have never heard of anyone doing that. So even though you will taste this in my restaurant one day...I'm sharing this little secret with you, that will allow you to blow away the grilling competition and acquire raving fans, friends and family alike ;-)

You can buy vindaloo paste in health food stores, whole foods, online, supermarkets etc etc. Pay close attention to the label, some have corn flour, franken oils and other ingredients unable to be pronounced. If you look carefully you will find one that is acceptable. Now here's another bonus. These types of products cost anywhere between $4 and $5. If you use it as the directions spell it out, you will get ONE use out of it. (two perhaps if you are cooking for 2.) But this way you only need 1 to 2 table spoons, so you get a lot more mileage out of the product. What does this work particularly well with? Chicken thighs, pork, lamb and lastly steak. Example; take a pound of chicken thighs cover them with a few spoons full of paste, make sure they are all coated and toss on the grill. If you don't have a grill, you can make this under the broiler also. Keep in mind that vindaloo has a "kick" to it, so maybe experiment a bit before you permanenly hook your fans with your mad cooking skills.
I promise, you will be amazed with the flavor!

“Only from the heart Can you touch the sky.”
Rumi

Simple and Decadent

2010-03-29T06:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is one of those Feel Good Eating dishes that just doesn't get an easier. You need no cooking skills for this, trust me. Just the ability to cut with a knife and to identify some real food in the supermarket. ;-)
Simple to make and the taste is decadent.
So next time you are at a loss for what to make try this with the following ingredients.; grass fed beef ribs, beets, garlic, celery, scallion, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt (optional, fresh basil and parsley)

Heat up your grill and salt your beef ribs. Place on grill bone side down, forget about them for a while. Back into the kitchen, and pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel your beets and cut into cubes. Peel 3-4 cloves of garlic. Drizzle with evoo and some sea salt top with a few scallion.Mix together and put in the oven.
Next take your celery, wash and slice. Cut some scallions. In a bowl mix the celery and scallion, drizzle with evoo (sprinkle of salt) and some fresh basil. Go back to the grill and turn your ribs. A few more turns and they will be done. These short ribs take a little longer, but they are well worth the wait. When beets are soft but not mushy, they are done. Enjoy.

5K,Dinner and link love

2010-03-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

PHEW!! That's what I have to say about Saturday mornings early 5K race on the beach.
It was a beautiful morning and the start of the race at 7:30 coincided perfectly with the sun coming up.
Due to the high tide, the "hard sand" close to the water was minimal. With ipod shuffle prepped, I took off really fast. I had every intention of running this race fast. I wanted to run it in 23 minutes or under. I should have paid attention to the pre race talk I over heard, that the winning times come in around 19 minutes. That's 3-4 minutes slower then normal finishing times at the local 5K's. It should have clued me in.......

They basically laid out a 5K loop for us to run. After the first 1/4 mile, I saw that we had to climb over the rocks that now cover the old drainage/run off pipes going into the gulf of mexico. A little bouldering on the beach...well not quite but you get the picture. After the first mile it was time for the turn and we went back where we came from. The sand was so churned up from us, that hitting it again felt like running in quicksand. I don't know how many people sprained or twisted their ankles, but I was never happier to be wearing my VFF. I was the only one wearing those by the way, which I found interesting, because if there ever was an opportunity for people to try them for a run, I assuming the beach would be perfect. Also, there was no one that ran barefoot. I had expected to see a few people doing that but alas.
The quicksand, obstacles and stop and go, made this a tough race. I enjoyed it a lot. I know I had promised some video footage, but it was just to dark in the morning to pull it off. My time 26:37. Exactly 3 minutes below normal pace.

Dinner;
Grilled grass fed ground beef with onion, garlic,cilantro and a mediteranean spice mix. I just made a pound of beef into a freakishly large patty, easy to prep up and great for leftovers. Steamed broccoli with butter and lemon juice. Cucumber salad with tahini, cilantro and parsley. Couldn't locate my camera, hence the crappy phone pic.

Don't know if many of you have ever seen this blog called The Lean Saloon. Johnny is a shining example of putting it all together for themselves. Proof in the pudding. Just check out his pics.

Breakfast and another back yard friend

2010-03-26T08:34:00.001-04:00

Cut up some bacon and in a pan fry it to the consistency/crispy-ness you like. Next, add some thin sliced yellow squash and a few scallions. Mix well and serve over some lettuce. Delicious breakfast.

I feel lucky and privilidged that animal friends like this come and visit, and that I get to enjoy seeing them. Trust me, it never gets old seeing a bald eagle in the wild. He/she was pretty high up there, and my zoom lens on my basic camera can only do so much, but wanted to share this one.

Have a great weekend everyone. Tomorrow morning is a organized 5K on the beach here. I will post an update after the race and hopefully a video with some nice beach scenery.

Try a Little Tenderness

2010-03-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

I LOVE music, so of course when I wanted to share with you a little tip for "tenderizing" tougher cuts of meat...
Otis Redding sang it so good, but I've always been really taken by the The Commitments rendition.
If you love music, and have not seen the movie, please plan yourself a nice weekend night with your significant other, a nice bottle of wine perhaps, put the feet up and watch the movie.
Here's a sample

Do you ever boil your tougher cuts of meat?
Cut your beef into bite sized pieces, bring some water to a boil and let the meat boil for a few minutes. You have to monitor it, because you can overdo it and you'll end up with shoe leather.

Now you can quickly saute it up with your choice of fat and impart any flavor you like. It's an easy and quick way to tenderize your meat and you will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Stuffed peppers and Post Work out Snack

2010-03-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

I've never been crazy about stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage, but after reading a recipe post on Mark's Daily Apple I decided to give them a whirl. I did not make it with pork (tough to find quality pork here locally) but with grass fed ground beef instead. My local small peppers are much darker in green color then what you find at the supermarket. (see pic). Made a nice mixture of cauliflower and meat, with plenty of garlic and onions. I was also out of tomato paste, so couldn't add that. It was nice to come home to a wonderful smelling house and a crockpot full of yummy dinner. Well to be quite honest, I re-affirmed that I still don't really like stuffed pepper. It was ok, nothing great. Had a nice salad with it that I was more excited over. The left overs were good though and handy fried up for breakfast with some eggs and butter.

Sorry about the phone pic below, but quickly wanted to share breakfast in my office with you.

Most of the time after an early morning workout, about 90 minutes later, I CRAVE flavor. Not lots of food, but flavor. So this is a perfect example of the type of small post work out snack I bring along to work in the morning. About a teaspoon and a half of full fat greek yogurt, sliced scallion and celery and one grilled chicken thigh (prior to grilling brush with some tamari, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder and fresh ground pepper) . This approach, is a perfect example to me of our communities cry for self experimentation, trial and error. I have not read much about the "size" of the post work out meal, but for me this is what I have found works best. Have you tried something similiar?

Also a wonderful new link on the right MODERN PALEO

Diane has done a tremendous job putting this together.

Enjoy your day and be nice.

Worry=Stress

2010-03-22T07:02:00.000-04:00

Do you at times worry about your choice and execution of eating paleo/ef/primal?
Do you get confused about the information overload at times? There are some extrememly in-depth blogs out there that you likely read right? Do they help you or do they add to your confusion?
In talking with someone over the weekend about "diet", I realised that it causes a tremendous amount of worry for people. Worry=stress, and we certainly do not need any more chronic stress in our lives.

"Quibbling about the details is going to continue indefinitely if for no other reason than that we are no longer a Paleolithic people. Our food supply is different in quality and quantity. Generations of agricultural life have left our genetics not quite in their pristine paleo form any longer. And individual variation resulting from the mish-mash of each of our genetic heritages means that no diet book, not even the sum of all serious paleodiet research, is ever going to be able to tell you whether you would be better off eating your salmon raw, or whether a steamed sweet potato is good for you. Circumstances alter cases and we are all our own experiment in diet and lifestyle"

Mr. Kurt Nieft wrote the above paragraph for a book review. It really expresses how I feel about it all. So let's cover the basics again; processed food sucks and is not actual food, man made sugar is very very bad, corn derivatives are poison, franken oils should be banned substances, in the U.S.the way most animals are raised,treated and processed is simply in-humane and results in an inferior product, organic produce has less chemicals in/on it then regular produce. Have anything to add?

Stick to eating real food, get some variety and let go of the worry.

Breakfast;
Fried eggs, cauliflower hashbrowns with bacon and a bit of melted cheese

Dinner; grilled grass fed steak, cucumber salad, grilled shrimp and grilled bokchoy and squash medley.

Yesterday afternoon in my back yard...it was blustery before a rain storm, and this cool little friend decided to grace me with his presence. He sat in my neighbors orange tree right on the other side of my hedge. We just looked at each other for a while. Couldn't sense an ounce of "worry" coming from him/her. I don't think he was concerned about the make up of his next meal. ;-)

"Don't worry be happy" B.M.

Don't Fear the Fat

2010-03-18T07:45:00.000-04:00

I hope that if you made the primal/paleo/EF switch recently, you are now the proud new owner of Mark Sisson's book the Primal Blue Print (I believe it made it to number 2 on Amazon yesterday)
The book is a perfect starting point and will help you get going without becoming confused about all the details. The only advice I have to add is; don't be afraid of fat. Fat is an integral part for the succes of your efforts.

Here's my quick lunch from yesterday;

One avocado drizzled with evoo and fresh ground pepper. Sliced cucumber with evoo and balsamic. Smoked sockeye salmon quickly (and 3 thin slices of a hot pepper) heated up in butter.

Not a ton of food, but filling and satisfying because of the fat.

This weekend I will have some time to shoot and upload another video.

Is there some specific recipe or ingredients you all would like to see?

Something you are perhaps not familiar with but would like to try?

Let me know.

Something to ponder for the day...

We all try to eat healthier, exercise, sleep better, argue about what aproach is best, walk more, love more, be more patient, be productive, etc etc...this got me thinking about something I read years ago from Bernie Siegel;

“It takes more distress and poison to kill someone who has peace of mind and loves life.”

Loving life brings with it peace of mind...ENJOY your day ;-)

Marks Sisson and the Primal Blue Print

2010-03-17T08:54:00.003-04:00

I did a post back in June of 2009. Mark Sisson sent me a copy of his book, with a very sincere personal note inside. This is the kind of guy that he his; real, sincere and truly looking to make a difference.
If you have not read the book, I highly reccomend it! But I think this book is just perfect to buy, to give to friends and family to get them introduced to the subject. This is where the book shines and delivers at it's best!

Today I'm doing my share in helping our friend and mentor Mark Sisson. He's trying to become # 1 on Amazon and giving away and amazing one time deal in the process.

Please support Mark's efforts and perhaps order a copy as a present for friends/family as I did.

Here are the details and thisoffer is just good for today March 17th 2010.

I believe many of us owe Mark a great deal, this is a small token of our appreciation. Here's his message. Thank you.

Dear Friends,As a valued reader of this website, I have an irresistible offer for you that includes hundreds of dollars in free gifts.

Mark Sisson is shooting to get his book, The Primal Blueprint, to the top of the charts and he’s giving away a ton of free stuff to encourage you to buy his book within a single 24 hour period. It’s a win-win-win offer. I get the satisfaction of providing you with the offer, you get a bunch of freebies, and Mark gets the exposure for his book that it deserves.

Your special free gifts include:

1) A personal invite to a 2-hour Live Webcast Q&A Session. Ask Mark anything you want. He’ll be answering as many questions as he can about weight loss, muscle building and anything else that interests you.

2) Access to a password-protected audio interview – “Special Report: 20 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight (And How to Fix Them)” ($24.99 value, yours free!)

3) Access to a password-protected audio interview – “Special Report: 10 Reasons You’re Sick (And How to Get Better)” ($24.99 value, yours free!)

4) A convenient and exclusive e-book (PDF) of 25 Primal Blueprint Recipes from Mark’s Daily Apple

5) A free preview edition (PDF) of Mark’s upcoming, hardbound cookbook with 5 select Primal Blueprint Recipes

Now here’s how you can grab all these free gifts…
Click on the link below and grab yourself a copy of The Primal Blueprint right now for only $17.81:
Buy The Primal Blueprint on Amazon.com
Then all you have to do to get your free gifts is just email Mark the receipt you'll get from Amazon.com by tomorrow, 12 pm PST, and he’ll slide your free gifts right over to you. (By the way if you don't absolutely love The Primal Blueprint, they'll REFUND EVERY DIME. You still get to participate in the Live Q&A and get all the free bonuses for your trouble.)
to sweeeten the deal he’s put together some additional ways for you to get some extra freebies. You can read all about them here.

If you’ve been thinking about buying the Primal Blueprint this is the perfect opportunity, so buy it now and secure all the freebies before this limited-time offer ends.

P.S: Remember, to receive your free gift package you must email Mark the receipt by noon Pacific Standard Time tomorrow!

P.P.S: Also remember, when you order and email Mark before noon tomorrow, you'll get the audio Weight Loss interview, so you can launch into losing weight right away. ($24.99 value, yours free!)
Buy The Primal Blueprint on Amazon.com

P.P.P.S: Please forward this to as many as you can as it’s a once-in-a-lifetime offer and the perfect opportunity to get a bunch of freebies when you purchase a copy of The Primal Blueprint at the low cost of only $17.81.

Salad

2010-03-14T13:33:00.001-04:00

Here's a real simple salad, but full of flavor and good for you goodness.

Smoked coho salmon over a bed of local organic arugula. Greek yogurt dressing.

Just mix together a table spoon of greek yogurt, about 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix together well. Now add water to get it to dressing consistency that you want. Drizzle over the salad and top off with some fresh ground pepper.

I got some grass fed meat bones and made a bone broth over the weekend. In line with everything "food" I blog about, this couldn't be any easier. And you are really making something that is so incredibly good for you and you can use it in so many ways.

The only thing in my opinion that you HAVE to do is roast the bones first.

This will give your broth that extra kick in flavor.

When the bones have been roasted put them in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. After that turn down the heat to a simmer, cover and let it do it's thing for 24 hours. You can add a bit of lemon or vinegar, this will help pull all the good for you minerals out of the bones. If you don't want to leave your stove on for 24 hours, after you have brought it to a boil, just transfer to a large crockpot (slowcooker) and let it do it's thing in there. While it's brewing; check it every now and again and skim off any weird stuff at the top. It might look like froth or scum....But it doesn't always appear. If you want to read a good post on broth, check Food Renegade.com. After 24 hours remove the bones. And let the soup cool. Skim the fat from the top and you are ready to go. The fat you can use to cook with (tallow). I keep some in glass jars in the fridge. I will drink it this week or use it to make some soup. With the rest I will make some broth ice-cubes.

Give it a try sometime. It really is so easy.

Turkey Burger Rant

2010-03-09T06:22:00.000-05:00

It's official, turkey burgers suck. I mean, give me some ground turkey and I can make some decent taco meat out of it. Or with some red/green curry and coconut milk, I will create a tasty treat. But turkey burgers are another story. It just doesn't seem to matter how creative I get and what ingredients I use, turkey burgers suck ;-)

Take a look;

This was the start of it, chopped onion, garlic, evoo, green pepper, smoked gouda and a spoon full of salsa verde. Right????
I then added the meat and a couple of tablespoons of potato flakes, and put the burgers in my handy dandy "grill holder"

I chopped up cauliflower, onion, garlic, green pepper (I chopped extra for the burger prep) and a 1/4 of a serrano pepper. In butter saute the onion, garlic, and serrano. Then added in the cauliflower and green pepper.

This is so easy and so tasty, if this isn't part of your kitchen repertoire...add it in immediately ;-)

The turkey burger wasn't over cooked, it was perfectly moist inside. But the bland taste of ground turkey somehow penetrated all the other flavors and eliminated them.

Do you like turkey burgers? Or...share your turkey burger rant ;-)

Tennis, BBQ and Dinner

2010-03-08T07:15:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I got to play in the singles final of the club championship. In the open division there were not that many entries, so on Saturday they played a type of round robin set up, with the winners of the most games meeting in the finals on Sunday.
My opponent was 50 years old and a former Div. 1 college player from California with an impressive record.
He was so dominant on Saturday, that the people that played against him, were not able to get a game off him. Instead of getting nervous about the match, I decided to shift my perspective, and focused on the fact that I had made it to the finals and that playing against a player of this caliber is exciting and fun.
About 200 or so people came to watch the match on center court. Our on court scene, resembled David and Goliath, me 5'7, he 6'4. His strokes were powerful and penetrating, and his serve broke the sound barrier at times ;-)
I went down 3-0 in the first set. But I had noticed something about my opponent...he underestimated me. That's never a good thing. Like a jack rabbit, I chased every ball down and when the opportunities presented themselves, I took advantage and went for my shots. The crowd was cheering for me mostly so that helped. I was able to get back to 3-3, and then 4-4. His serve was the difference. So I lost the first set 6-4. I had him a bit rattled and it felt good. But...his experience and his expertise allowed him to kick it up a notch in the second set. Even though every game was close, I found my self down 0-5. OUCH. I looked at one of my older friends watching, he gave me the thumbs up and said...keep going, it isn't over. I stepped it up and fought back to 3-5. I had a break point in the last game and I could have been at 4-5 with me serving...but it wasn't to be. After my breakpoint he blasted to very big first serves to take the match 6-4, 6-3. I didn't feel bad about losing at all, but proud that I gave the big man game and even better that a recreational player like me was able to hang with a fomer college level player.

When I came home, my neighbor came over and said "we are throwing away our BBQ, because we never use it. Do you want it?" Isn't life nice sometimes?? I went and got the BBQ and was pleasantly surprised with a good as new stainless steel specimen. I will clean it up and get a few replacement parts. I was able to use it last night for a quick meal.

Some steak strips that I tossed with toasted sesame oil, evoo, salt and pepper and a small serrano pepper.
The 'fish holder" for grilling that you see, can be used for a lot more things then fish. This makes turning very easy.

You've seen a picture of my grill basket before, it's a really easy and quick way to make delicious veggies on the grill. Yellow squash, zucchini and sweet onion. Simply tossed with evoo and some hot sauce.

When they were done, I sliced a handful of basil and mixed it in. You can use cilantro or parsley too.

Some salad with the meat rounded out the meal.Green leaf lettuce, tomato, celery and carrots. All tossed with some evoo, mustard and onion dressing.

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." W. Dyer

5K results and Farmers market produce

2010-03-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

That was me early this morning. Number 86. It was cold for us warm blooded Floridians. 40 degrees brings out hats,scarves and gloves here. After registering, receiving my number and putting on my timing chip, I went back to my car for a little chilling time with music to stay warm. Under my thin long sleeve t-shirt, I wore one of those Under armor heat gear shirts. You know what? They really work.

As I said in the previous post, I found a real runner (that I know comes in with 22 minute times) to pace me. Eventhough the wind was strong and the cold was felt, I started out real strong and ran my first mile in 7.09, second mile and still right on the heals of the real runner, 7.11. And then.....I didn't want to run anymore ;-) It was a weird (and new) feeling, I wasn't particularly tired and felt no discomfort but my mind acted up like a baby and whined "I don't wanna run anymore" I actually stopped and took about 20 walking steps. Then tried to kick myself in the ass as best I could and got motoring. Don't know wether it was the cold air on my lungs or my baby mind, but I didn't have my usual sprint mode for the last 200 yards (listen to me..."usual" this is only my 3rd race ;-) ) going.

Came in at 23.52 results are here if you want to see. Decent time improvement from the last one in December at 24:30. Next 5k is later this month and the run is on the beach. That should be fun and I will bring video camera along to capture some beach scenes. Hopefully it will actually be warm again in Florida by then.

Take a look at this locally grown organic red leaf lettuce;

It's just tremendous compared to the store bought variety. Great color and full of amazing flavor.

Enjoy the weekend...time for some tennis in a few.

Cucumber salad and 5K

2010-03-06T06:32:00.001-05:00

I LOVE cucumber. I really could eat it at every meal. Cucmber is like garlic in my house, always in stock.

Sliced cucumber with thinly sliced spring onion, extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper. Simple, quick ans easy.

Going to run a 5K this morning. I've only run that distance once since my mid January half marathon. Instead of running 3.5 miles regularly, I tried something different. I've been running a mile at a 7 minute pace (and slightly under) about 2-3 times a week. Will let you know how it goes. Another thing I'm going to try is to find a few real runners that I know run the 5K in about 22-23 minutes. I'm going to try to just keep up with them. Will let you know how it goes. I do have to play in a small tennis tournament today, so hopefully I won't wear myself out completely for the race. Kids are with mom this weekend, so I get to play ;-)

Remember to smile today.

Quick Lunch

2010-03-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

I promise I won't do this again. I need someone to man the camera while I'm cooking, or you all will miss out on a bunch of things going on. The static view is just not good enough. So bare with me as I find my stride and slowly dissolve my stage fright ;-)

So in case you're curious what's going on in that video, here's some back up.
I wanted to show you how quick and easy (FeelGoodEating at ist's best) you can make something without a whole bunch of ingredients.

Fennel salad. Thinly slice the fennel, toss in a bowl with some evoo, salt, lemon juice and fresh basil. Experiment with your fresh herbs, you can use mint, cilantro, marjoram, oregano etc. Each herb will effect the salad a bit differently and create a distinct taste.

I marinated some grass fed eye of round in rice vinegar. It breaks down a tougher cut of meat nicely and imparts a unique flavor, especially when combined with some toasted sesame oil for cooking. Cut the eye of round thin and in bite sized pieces. In some butter saute onion and garlic, add the meat, and add some toasted sesame oil.
Hope you enjoyed the video anywho...

Post workout eats, Hunter Gatherers and Satiety.

2010-02-25T11:20:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about these things this morning after my work out. When hunter gatherers finish a succesful hunt, when do they eat? They eat a little bit right away...then wait to get back to camp to really chow down. (after the kill, they might together share the heart or something as a little snack right?) Then it might take them an hour to walk back to camp. I've noticed that my "hunger" after workouts replicates this model. When I get back from the gym, I'm always in the mood for a "tasty small morsel" I might eat one slice of bacon or a spoon full of yogurt. But it's all that I want at that time. I will prep up a little meal to go before my shower, and about an hour later I eat. What are your experiences? Here was my to go breakfast;

A small sausage and some yellow pepper,celery and cherry tomatoes. Add some FAT in there by drizzling evoo in the veggie bag with a sprinkle of sea salt. The evoo makes a huge difference helping you feel satiated after a smaller meal like this. Talking about satiety...Keith Norris has mentioned it often, but if you are ever hungry when you know you really shouldn't be (old habits die hard, I know), have yourself a spoonful of coconut oil. The mornings I don't eat, I take my vitamin D3 drops with a spoonful of coconut oil. Good for absorption and helps with the small fast till 1pm or so.

New video coming up next.

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.”

RUMI

Easy Chicken Recipe Video

2010-02-21T17:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe after seeing this video you can help me come up with a name for this recipe ;-)

Go easy on me...this is my first one. They can only get better from here ;-)
I don't really know how to edit it all yet, so you have to watch in stages. Total cooking and prep time was less then 15 minutes. Also because I was nervous perhaps, I totally forget to mention one of the ingredients, little cherry/grape tomatoes. I really like these to cook with better then regular tomatoes.They don't turn to mush as quick.
Hope you like it, enjoy.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

Videos

2010-02-21T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well the time has come. I know I've promised it for a while, but I've finally taken the plunge.
You know how it's often said that you must do things in life that scare you a bit? Well this scared me a lot.
It's strange to put yourself out there like this. And.....you know when you hear your voice on a tape recorder or video and you shudder in horror? Try making a video of yourself ;-)
Here's a quick intro to yours truly, followed by the first Feel Good Eating cooking video.

Friends, food and wine.

2010-02-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

My good friend Steve came to visit me this weekend. After some tennis, a quick stroll through the farmers market,whole foods and total wine, we got all the supplies we wanted and enjoyed a wonderful day together.

For lunch we had some delicious fresh local shrimp.

Sauteed some onion,yellow and green pepper. Removed it from the pan and then added some chopped garlic and butter. Sauted that and added the shrimp. A squeeze of lime juice, tomato paste, heavy cream, salt and pepper. When almost done add the onion and pepper with it. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Had a big salad with a olive oil and lemon dressing.

For dinner lamb kebobs with colliflower rice and some homemade tzatziki. The kebob recipe stays in the vault...that one is for the restaurant ;-) I will share with you that it was absolutely delicious!

I will be honest and say these weren't the only bottles consumed, but these were especially tasty.

Friends, food and wine...a perfect pairing.

Just a thought

2010-02-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

I have so many friends and co-workers that are really trying to eat "healthy".
So what happens, they go to Whole Foods or other health food stores and they buy products like these;
http://www.backtonaturefoods.com/

You see how amazing they are at marketing?? Wholesome stuff right??
As nice a picture as they paint, the reality is, THIS IS NOT FOOD.
If you want a "cracker" go the extra mile and make something with ingredients that you know and can identify. Girl Gone Primal just had a really easy and good one for example.

Lastly, guess who owns that company?...................................Kraft Foods. Nuff said.

Yakitori

2010-02-07T08:28:00.000-05:00

Many cultures have a version of this, but the Japanese are the masters of "subtle". Especially when it comes to food. Real good yakitori gets it's flavor from perfectly grilled chicken over charcoal, and the "sauce" is an accompaniment. This is a nice little project for weekend cooking. The prep takes a little longer, but it's worth the time.
Soak some bamboo or wooden skewers for a while. (by the way, ALL cookbooks and recipes say soak for 30 minutes. This is wrong. soak for 30 min, and you will have burnt skewers. The skewers actually need to soak for a few hours.)

Cut chicken thighs (another side note, real yakitori is made with ALL parts of the chicken.....and I mean ALL parts) into bite sized pieces. Take some scallion and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Skewer the chicken on the sticks and seperate every two pieces with a scallion.

For the sauce, you will need some Mirin (sweet rice wine), soy sauce, and a clove of garlic. In a sauce pan combine about a cup of mirin and 1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use the wheat free tamari. one more side note, check your asian grocery stores to buy soy/tamari sauce. The same products cost half the price compared to our supermarkets. I assume this is because for us it's a novelty item and a staple food in the asian groceries)
and the crushed clove of garlic. Cook on medium heat until it reduces to about half it's original volume.

Get your grill ready and put the the chicken skewers on. After the first turn, start basting them regularly.

Remember the Salsa Verde I made? Grab yourself 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and add about a teaspoon of the salsa verde and mix it in.
Together with the yakitori, I had a half an avocado, the yogurt and a sweet pepper salad. They sell them at costco and are from San Diego. They are in season locally and I buy mine at the farmers market. They are delicious and colorful. Just thinly slice a few and add in some fresh cilantro and scallion. That's it, simple and easy.

A nice colorful meal. It used to make smile when Art Devany wrote about the "mound of brown".
Had a nice glass of wine with it. Zins, by 7 deadly Zins. It found it for $12.99. It tasted like a $25 bottle. Very very good.

Stay tuned for REAL pictures, battery issue solved ;-)

Natto, Salmon Eggs & Reminder

2010-02-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

So sorry to even put up this horrible picture, but it is serving as a reminder and motivation to go out during my lunch period and finally pick up a battery for my camera. It boggles my mind that I just can't remember when I'm out and about.

Anywho, I realize this might not be the breakfast choice of many, but I happen to love it. Natto (fermented soy bean) and fresh salmon eggs. Funny how things can change in your life; I used to yell at my dad when I was little for eating fish liver and herring for breakfast. Now my kids scream when they see the little natto container come out. "Dad!!! how can you eat that?????!!!!! It smells like shit!"
And, like my dad years ago, I just smile.

Stay positive everyone...

Grilled Chicken Thighs and Running

2010-02-02T07:32:00.000-05:00

I own a very simple simple grill, but I can tell you flat out that the food I grill, tastes so much better then most of the food I get to eat at cook outs/bbq's at friends and family houses. The difference? Gas vs. wood charcoal. I think I'm the only one that doesn't have a gas grill.The gas grills just don't create that yummy woodsy smoky flavor. And in a strange way, the heat from the gas grill is to consistent.
It is a little less convenient, I will give you that, but the results are worth it.

So here's a super simple chicken thigh recipe. Marinate over night in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and freely sprinkle with garlic powder, red pepper flakes and salt. That's all. Grill and enjoy. You will be surprised how tasty this is. Made with just a few ingredients that most likely you will have in your spice cabinet collection.
If you have a gas grill, no worries, try it anyway. It will still be tasty. ;-)

On Sunday I went for a run. It was the first run since my half marathon adventure. After about 4 minutes of running, my "thinking" brain took hold and said to me "how the heck did you run for 2 hours?? I don't think I can run another minute!!!" Funny thing that "thinking" brain, isn't it? So I shut the thinking brain down, turned on my ipod shuffle and kept running. I ran for 3.5 miles. It felt great. I'm starting to understand how so many people get addicted to those running endorphins, because I was in a super mood a half hour later.

Thanks to all that left a comment on the Carl Sagan post.It warms my heart that to know that it speaks to you. It certainly does to me.

Coming up; do you eat turnips? This little root vegetable packs a nutritious punch. I'm going to share a little recipe with you I think you're going to like. And, anyone familiar with "the secret smile"?

Make it a great day!

Perspective, be nice and Breakfast

2010-01-29T06:26:00.000-05:00

Commentary on a picture taken from space, of planet earth.

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

-Carl Sagan

For all of you that have never read that, did you enjoy it? I loved it when I first read it years ago, and I still love it today.
BE NICE, enjoy life with all it's varieties and differences and don't take it all to seriously ;-)

Back to food;

Great 20 minute workout yesterday morning, that had me drenched in sweat and hungry about 30 minutes later. Check out Chris's latest post on Conditioning research, for good info on post work out nutrition and the importance of exercise.

Sauted in some herb butter from Kerrygold, red onion and asparagus. One fried egg and topped with a few slices of smoked salmon.

Have a great weekend everyone

Random Variety

2010-01-26T16:42:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about this for the past week and it's difficult for me to put it into words as eloquently as I would like. Art Devany has some very scientific examples of this "randomization" principle and wrote about it often, years ago. I don't know if he has addressed it recently, as my paid subscription to his site expired.

So here goes my "observational speculation";
With the exception of your (happily) chosen field and the practice of unconditional love, everything else done steadily/daily will not serve you in optimal ways. (this even includes breathing and meditation)
I guess my thoughts about this aren't exactly earth shattering or new, I mean how old is the expression "variety is the spice of life"?
But after running the half marathon and many people flat out calling me crazy, I just started thinking more and more about this. My work outs are random, what I eat is random, how I run is very random.
Since I'm having difficulty putting this onto words, I will share my own personal examples.

Exercise;
I will hit the gym hard lets say for 4 weeks (3 x a week), and then just like that, I won't go for 2 weeks. This doesn't mean I'm not active. It just takes a different form, maybe lots of bodyweight stuff and outdoor sprinting. I might play tennis 3 times a week for 2 weeks, and then I'll be missing in action for 2 weeks, not playing any tennis. I might join my friend at his crossfit gym for a week, but it will be 3 months before they would see me back there. I might run a 5k or a half marathon and then not actually run for 6 weeks. Only speaking from observation and experience, I have been getting stronger and I never seem to injure myself (years ago, I would always get injured). I think that the steady running, the steady lifting, the crossfit 6 days a week, creates a repetitive strain that our bodies just don't appreciate. Injury usually occurs. And I think that's where the much debated "what is fitness" question comes in. To me it means being strong, injury free and the ability to participate in the physical and mental activities that you are attracted to. My kids who used to like making fun and say "dad works out, cause he wants to be buff", are learning that it's not about that. Dad wants to be surfing a lot when he's sixty, and that's only going to happen if he keeps in shape. I also think sometimes that it makes them feel good that their dad doesn't look like all their friends dads. But I could be wrong.

Food;
My eating patterns and choices are very random. I go from eating once a day, to 4-5 times a day and everything in between. I might IF for a few weeks and then not for another few weeks. Just the other day I bought a large package of smoked salmon at Costco, its about 2 pounds I think. I will finish this in 3 days, and then not have it again for 6 or 8 weeks. I can devour some Fage yogurt for 14 days, and then not for the following month. Do you see where I'm heading with all this? Keeping it random is very important I think.
What are your thoughts on it??

Enjoy your life, stick to what you know works for you, BUT SWITCH IT UP.
So completely random. Last night I wanted some rice. No idea why. A bit of rice topped with Cobia (fish)
sauteed onion, asparagus and a squeeze of tomato paste. Fresh cucumber and an evoo drizzle on the rice.
Crappy phone pic....so sorry.

A bit of a ramble I know, but try and use this to look at your own eating and exercising habits. Are you keeping things varied and random??

Salsa Verde

2010-01-24T08:14:00.000-05:00

Before I get to this most decadent easy to make little condiment, I thought I'd give you an update on how I felt the week after running that half marathon.

My knees got progressively more sore and sensitive on Sunday, and by Sunday night I could barely take steps. Monday morning my knees were fine. No pain, no sensitivity whatsoever. My thighs (quads) were a little sore now. Mid day on Monday the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) took hold. I got progessively worse over the course of the day, and by 5 pm I was walking like some old fashioned cowboy that just got off his horse after a 5 day ride. Woke up Tuesday morning with NOTHING hurting or even sore. To be honest, I was kind of on a 'high" till Thursday from the race.

I am formulating my thoughts, and soon will share some of them on "random-ness", especially in regards to exercising with weights and running.

Ok, back to food.
Salsa Verde;

This one is so easy to make. Ten fresh tomatillo's, three jalapeno's and four cloves of garlic. If you look close you will also see a "scotch bonnet/habanero" pepper. I did not use it, but it's color looked so nice with all the green. Grab yourself a pot of water and boil the tomatillos and jalapenos until soft. Mean while, in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, warm the garlic on low heat. Get out your food processor and put the garlic (with the oil), jalapenos, tomatillos and a few sprigs of cilantro in it.Pulse until you get your desired texture. Some like it chunky, other might like it a bit more runny. I know, I know my pics are still phone pics. I will get the new battery for the camera today!

Try this, grill chicken thighs or flank steak, and mix some of this salsa verde with a tablespoon or two of full fat greek yogurt. Spoon the mixture on top of your grilled meat. It's delicious, trust me.

"Stupid is, as stupid does" AND The best shout out ever.

2010-01-18T07:20:00.001-05:00

I guess I will start with the adressing the great quote above from one of my favorite movies, Forrest Gump.
There are of course many others from the movie, but this past Friday a business associate called me to go over some things and at then end of the conversation he said "hey; do you want to run the half marathon on Sunday? I'm one of the sponsors you know? " My Forrest Gump brain took over and I answered "yeah sure, that sounds like fun" , (stupid is as stupid does). Great he said, I will sign you up and I will see you Sunday morning at 6 am. Race starts at 7. I hung up the phone and said to myself "cool, I'm running a half marathon." My next thought was, are you freakin crazy?!!! You haven't ran a mile since the 5k December 12th. and youv'e never run more than 5 miles at a time. The more the day went on, the more I rationalized my decision. I was just going to do this. (thoughts on "random-ness" coming later in another post)
What's better than a little adventure? I think putting yourself on the line every now and then is important, it makes you feel alive!

I woke up early Sunday morning got dressed and when I got outisde it was a little breezy and raining. Thank goodness the local cold temps had left and it was a balmy 62. My car started this time when I left, and
I got there right at 6. I was immediately blown away by how many people there were, it was just ELECTRIC. So much positive energy and excitement in the air, don't know about others, but I could sure feel it. My adrenaline started coursing.......
I found out after the race that this is a very popular half marathon and draws about 2000 people. That's a lot for our sleepy town. Lots of people from other parts of the country. \Nice way to take a little trip I'm guessing.
I meet up with the rest of the gang, and the conversations around, started talking about training runs, last years half marathon, split times,.......you know "runners talk". It was at this point that a little bit of self doubt crept into my dumb head, but like I said, the adrenaline was al ready coursing. At one point a gentlemen that I had met for the first time, said to me "when did you run your last long training run? I ran my 13 miles days ago and have been tapering down, so I'm ready today." I really must have looked like Forrest Gump at that point as I just stammered "uhhhh uhhhh uhh". I then made the mistake of telling the small crowd that I have never really run more then 5 miles. As much as I like being the center of attention ;-) , I didn't enjoy it right at that moment!!! Everyone looked at me like I had 3 heads. I told them I had no expectations and that I was running real slow today.
At 6:50 am all 2000 people were waiting at the starting line. The organiszers were playing some great music and just before 7 the star spangled banner came on.....although I'm not sure...I was so caught up in the excitement of the moment, that it could have been America the beautiful, or even something else, but I was just really enjoying it.

I decided to take it nice and slow, well, there was no chioce really, you had to because of the crowd.
At mile 1, my time (thanks to a guy with a watch next to me) was a 10 minute and 30 second pace.
There was a lot of nice conversation to be had with other runners and I picked 2 ladies from Wisconsin to pace me. They were running 10 minute miles. The gentlemen I had met earlier, was also running with us at that 10 minute pace.

At mile 3, I smiled to myself, because neither of my calfs had cramped and I took that to be a good omen.
At mile 4, I was surprised how fresh I was feeling. The course took us through Old Naples and a block from the beach. The setting was spectacular. When I saw the mile 5 marker, I got happy and said to myself "new personal record" and decided to listen to my ipod shuffle for a bit. My "pacers" seemed to be doing fine, but I was ready to start picking up the pace a tiny bit. So I left them and ventured on my own......into the unknown ;-)

I found a real nice stride and coupled with some great music I just enjoyed my little adventure. Around mile 9, I started looking at runners ahead and setting my sights on someone I thought I could catch up to. Once I did, I would look ahead again for the next one.

I did not run this race in my VFF's. I ran it in my Nike Free's

The reason I decided on my Nike's was two fold.
1. I never ran a really long distance in my VFF before
2. Don't laugh......I knew I would be the only person there in VFF. I was worried that if I didn't finish the race, or collapsed somewhere, people would say, "You know, that guy that collapsed with the funny shoes...."

At mile 8 and 9 my feet felt very very warm. It was really the only discomfort I felt all race. When I hit mile 11, I got very very excited. I felt like I had made it. But then.....that mile got tough. I turned up my music louder and started singing along. Might have not sounded great for others, but it fired me up and before I knew it, mile 12 was in sight. I ran the last mile trying to pick of as many runners as I had the energy for.
I made it through the finish line at 2:10 and 35 seconds.

I felt fantastic and I took my shoes off as fast as I could. Some observations and thoughts: I wasn't surprised but yet I was grateful that I never felt winded. Hey, I sang out loud at mile 11. Short burst intense work outs do really work. The runners "high" really does exist, I felt it around mile 6. I KNOW most runners I talked too had been eating pasta for a few days prior. "carb loading" they called it. I dont have to tell you what I ate : ) In the morning around 6:30 I had a banana, I dont eat those too often, but I was hungry and there were only bagels and bananas. I also will share this with you, around mile 5, the volunteers handed out water and orange gatorade in cups. I had one of those little paper cups filled with orange gatorade. It just looked sooooo inviting. It tasted even better. I tried to "feel" my body actively after ingesting it..........but I noticed nothing. Not even my saliva thickening....which I can feel if I eat sugar now. After the race I was amused that taking steps felt strange. I mean running for 2 hours and then taking normal steps is a sensation you dont feel often. I started getting a bit sore about 3 hours later. The nap in the afternoon felt FANTASTIC. The only sore part this morning are my knees. Interesting because I don't remember my knees ever hurting. Not from soccer, tennis tournaments or heavy sessions of box jumps. All in all I was really happy I did it. Like I said, it was like an adventure. I won't be running anytime soon...........I will give you my thoughts on that in my next post about "random-ness"

I got the best comment on Friday. Rusty from Fitnessblackbook , left me a comment that said "you're famous buddy" When I followed the link I saw this
When I saw what Rusty wrote about my little blog, I was so humbled. I can't thank him enough. I mean sometimes just getting affirmation that what you do is appreciated is so encouraging! And what he said is true, I really like connecting and sharing with all of you. It's what life is about isn't it?
Rusty, THANK YOU!!!! I look forward to the day when you visit Naples and I can show you around and we can have a beer on the beach together.

Follow your dreams, put yourself on the line every now and again, and remember that you can do anything you set your mind on.

LINKS & MUST READ!

2010-01-14T08:23:00.000-05:00

I added the link to to Dr. Kurt Harris's site PaleoNU. I meant to do this a while ago, but the administrative duties of my blogging usually fall behind schedule. Hence the lame lay out ;-) At some point I will get my butt in gear and make it look a little nicer. In my third year of keeping this effort up, so I don't feel too bad about it. I hope it continues to provide all of you with simple ideas on how to keep on going.
PaleoNU has been one of my favorite daily reads since its inception. Many articles I re-read, to fully comprehend the informatin so generously shared by Dr. Harris. Go have a look if you are not familiar, you will not be dissapointed, I promise.

Richard's latest post on Free the Animal is a MUST read for anyone following a paleo/primal/ef lifestyle. The comments are eye opening and I never knew that people experienced so many difficulties. Are you experiencing issues? I was going to leave a long comment, on Free the Animal, but decided to do a post and offer some support and thoughts on the subject. I am NOT a researcher, scientist, Dr., scholar and am in no way qualified on anything really.........BUT for the past 4 years I have lived N=1 and M=1. I can share with you what I've learned through trial and error and careful observation. Example, had you told me 5 years ago that if I didn't work out for 2 weeks, I would improve body composition and get stronger, I wouldn't have believed you. I had to find out for myself. Had you told me I could play 5 hours of a tennis tournament competition in a fasted state.....I would have laughed at you. My list can go on and on, but you get my point. You MUST ultimately make it your own........find out what works for YOU. Go and read some off Brent's Health care Epistomecrat for amazing writing about n=1,m=1 and bricoleurs. I have also added his link on the right. I have a feeling you will be hearing more from Brent over the coming years. I would even dare make a bet that he will publish a well known book at some point in time. So Richard's latest post has I think caused quite a stir. We have not heard the end of this in my opinion.

My thoughts;
This will be a ramble so try and stay with me ;-)
I will start a list followed by some thoughts on those statements. Again ...these are MY speculations....so feel free to fire away on me if you don't agree.

1. Most people come to paleo/primal ef because they are overweight and want to loose weight. I think many startt off too strong and hardcore. Much like when folks decided to "get in shape". It's all to much, to fast.

2. A lot of people over analyze the whole paleo/primal/ef concept. Maybe that's were I'm actually lucky that I am not so learned. One only needs to closely look at Art Devany's older meal pictures and you have a perfectly clear picture to send you on your way. Over the past 1-2 years, his EF way has been somewhat questioned by the crowd that has been following him for 4 or more. But if you look carefully.....you will see that he eats the "variety of foods" that I think has been missing from many that have come to the (hardcore) party over the last year or two. I remember comments on his site like "isn't that a lot of fruit?"
or "you're portions are so small?" (in your mid 70's you need less food then mid 40's) Art changed his eating ways over 30 years ago. He has stressed many a time "stop worrying, it will come, it takes time, enjoy the journey etc etc" I have a feeling he suffered a few "symptoms of change" 30 years ago....after all, he too ate plenty of cheese burgers and drank to many beers at one time.

3. Alcohol. I suspect many many folks still drink to much. Once your "internals" start changing, too much alcohol (FRUCTOSE) causes havoc. I know this again from careful personal observation. For some, 3-4 glasses of wine is ok, for some one glass might be to much.

4. The art of living. This paleo/primal/ef way is an art. You must make it your own. What works for others will not work for you.

What to take away from my ramble? EAT REAL FOODS and GET BUSY LIVING!

Real foods includes EVERYTHING that doesn't come in a box or can. It might take some time for your sytem to come back to normal, but once it does VARIETY is key. Yes you can eat watermelon, yes you can have an organic potato. I've always called it ef/paleo/primal, the combination of all 3 makes it perfect in my humble opinion.

That's it for now, let me know your thoughts.

Spanish Ground Lamb

2010-01-10T07:54:00.003-05:00

Still no battery for my camera, funny how sometimes the simplest of errands, take the longest to accomplish. hmmmmm.......

So my apologies for the crummy phone pic.

I'm going to share one of my all time favorites with you today. Spanish ground lamb.

This is so super easy to make.

Ingredients;

Ground lamb, garlic, onion, olives (any kind except for those tasteless canned black ones), fresh tomato (or some tomato paste), sweet or hot smoked paprika, butter, heavy cream, salt and pepper.

Lets say you're making this for 2 people. 1 pound ground lamb, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/4 of a large onion, 6-8 olives, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, one small tomato, 2 tbspoons heavy cream.

Got it ? Let's do it;

In butter, saute the onion, when translucent but not browned add the garlic. When you smell the garlic, add the diced up olives. Saute together for 2 minutes. Add your ground lamb.

when pink starts to disappear, add your smoked paprika and some salt and pepper. Turn down your heat a little and add your diced up tomato. When tomato gets soft, add your heavy cream. Stir well for another minute and serve. A nice glass of heavy, full bodied red wine is perfect with this dish.

This is also a great dish to bring a long if you need to bring food to a party or get together.

"Not everything that counts can be counted......and not everything that can be counted counts" Albert Einstein

Tomatoes and Sunset

2010-01-08T11:25:00.004-05:00

The area where I live is one if not the largest producers of tomatoes in the U.S. Just yesterday I was fortunate enough to get a back door pass to one of the farms and packing houses. Pretty neat and I learned a lot about tomatoes. From a paleo/primal perspective, I now understand why there are many people that can't tolerate them well, as they are part of the night shade family. It's not easy to grow them with out a lot of "intervention". Took this picture of the field that was quite beautiful.

I thought I'd also share this picture with you all that I snapped New years eve at sunset.

Have a great weekend everyone! As promised next up, Spanish Ground Lamb Recipe.

The "Murph" a CrossFit workout

2010-01-04T10:38:00.002-05:00

Little Crossfit workout this morning to start the new year.
The "Murph" consists of the following.

1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run.

My calf is still not right, so I "rowed" for the 2 miles instead.
I started with 20 pull ups, 45 push up and 20 squats.
From there my numbers only decreased and the last 25% of the work out, I could only muster 5 pull ups, 12-15 push ups and 12-20 squats. It's a tough cookie.....give it a shot. My time was around 47 minutes.

Man was I looking forward to breakfast an hour later.....
Left over Spanish ground lamb, with one small boiled potato. Recipe for the lamb to follow with picture.

Have a great day everyone.

Universal Chicken Dish & Avocado Soup

2010-01-03T13:38:00.011-05:00

I'm just taking an educated guess here, but I think almost every culture has a version of this chicken dish. Namely, chicken with garlic.
I've tasted it from many different cultures, but I think one of my favorites is this version from Spain. It's a classic Feel Good Eating dish. Easy to prepare, fresh simple ingredients and super flavor. A real crowd pleaser if you will.
Here we go and because I'm sharing this with you all......promise me you will try this sometime. You won't be disappointed. I wasn't going to share this one as it will be served in the restaurant one day...........it will be a staple there for sure.
Ingredients needed. 1 organic chicken cut into 8 pieces with skin (you can use thighs with skins just as well, about 3.5 pounds), 25-30 cloves of garlic,3 tbsps almond meal, 2 cups chicken stock, 3-4 tbsps of smoked paprika (hot or sweet your choice), 4 tbsps dry white wine, fresh thyme, cilantro and parsely (you can use dried too, but fresh is best.) 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional) salt and pepper to taste. Evoo and butter for saute-ing.

In a large skillet, saute the garlic cloves in butter or evoo. After 2 minutes, remove with slotted spoon. Now the oil or butter will be nicely infused with garlic. Coat the chicken in the almond meal, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the chicken on both sides. About 10 minutes. Watch your heat! Remove the chicken from your pan and add the fresh herbs, chicken stock and white wine. Turn up the heat and add the chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the chicken and bring the rest of your liquid to a boil. Reduce until about 1/2 cup is left. Optional add a splash of heavy cream, mix well and pour over your chicken.

Sorry about the "phone pics". I need a battery for my camera.

So many people I know have an avocado tree in their back yard here. I don't have one, but this time of year I get so many avocados handed to me, I'm not upset that there is no tree in my back yard. Now "Florida" avocados are a little different then the "hass" variety. They are not quite as dense, and they are much bigger with more water. Here's what they look like:

Since I had about 3 of these guys ripe and ready to go, I made some cold avocado soup. Very simple and super tasty. If you have just one hass avocado you can make this too.

Thinly dice and slice some onion, a little bit of fresh pepper of your choice (I used cayenne, but jalapeno works well too), chicken stock, full fat yogurt, lemon juice and fresh cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste. In your food processor, mix the onion, pepper and cilantro together. Now add your avocado and process together. Transfer to a large bowl or container and mix in your chicken stock (the stock shouldn't be warm). Last mix in your yogurt. You could use sour cream, but the full fat yogurt gives it a better flavor in my opinion. If you have some crumbled bacon to add to it before eating, have at it. I didn't have any on hand.

Really yummy soup.

Will you guys let me know what you think of the chicken recipe? And what garlic chicken varieties do you know??

Thought is Energy and 2010

2009-12-31T10:21:00.004-05:00

Thought is Energy! If you accept this to be so, then whatever we can think up, is possible right?

Think about what you really want this coming year, keep your thoughts focused on it and go get it!

Wishing each and every one of you a healthy, happy and magical 2010.

Happy Holidays and Give Away Results.

2009-12-28T10:05:00.005-05:00

It sure is a busy time of year. I hope everyone is enjoying the season.

I know it's hectic and crazy at times, but don't fight it, it keeps coming back every year anyway;-)

Might as well enjoy it. And if you can't seem to enjoy it. Be happy and grateful for all the people that do enjoy it.

Sorry it took me a week to get the results to you of the Oikos give away. It's was a very involved "selection winner picking process". ;-) I cut up a few pieces of paper and picked one. Mark you were the winner. Please email your contact details to KDrociak@stonyfield.com and she will send you your winners package. For any of you that have not checked out Marks blog, take a look. He has a recent post on "brining" that is very useful.

On to some Feel Good Eating;

Grab your cast iron skillet and grill up some eggplant, zucchini, onion and a spicy pepper. Top right was the one I used. A fresh cayenne pepper. When done toss it in a food processor and drizzle a bit of olive oil in there and add some cilantro. Season according to your taste. The reason you don't see any grilled garlic in there, is cause I was out of garlic....agggggghhhhh the horror! I don't remember ever not having garlic in the house, but there is a first for everything. What you have now is a nice "vegetable hummus". You can use it in a variety of ways. I just added a helping to a nice green salad with evoo.

Breakfast this morning;

Salmon salad with home made mayo. The post I did a while ago, shows how easy it is to make yourself some mayo. Now for some the evoo flavor is too strong. But for salmon salad it works perfectly. Tuna not so much. It also pairs well with grilled chicken. Do you find the flavor to strong? What other dishes do you use it for?

This salmon salad had a tiny bit of fresh cayenne, green bell pepper and cilantro mixed in.

Update on bar-baron challenge...... folks....drum roll......I'm up to my 3rd muscle up. Even uglier then the second one.....but I'm getting there.

Greek Yogurt Give Away

2009-12-16T10:07:00.004-05:00

Like I said the blogosphere is getting smaller. Even the little guy can get noticed ;-)

Check out this really nice email I received from the communications assistant at Stony Field Farms;

"Hi Marc, I came across your blog and saw that you enjoy Greek yogurt - namely Fage. Stonyfield Farm makes Oikos Organic which is thick, creamy and filling just like the other brand(s) you’ve tried – but, it’s ORGANIC. As you probably know, organic means it's made without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and it's made from organic milk produced without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or artificial growth hormones (ie rBST). We feel that organic is not only healthier for you, but better for the planet as well. I would love to send you coupons for Oikos so that you can give it a try and maybe let your readers know what you think of it! Please let me know if you'd like them and where I can send them to.

Best, Kristina

Kristina Drociak

Communications Assistant Stonyfield Farm603-437-4040 KDrociak@stonyfield.com "

We had some really nice communication back and forth. I did ask of course for the full fat variety. They don't make that as of yet. So, all of you fat lovers ;-) please send an email to Kristina and let her know that we are very very interested in a full fat version. All of the Oikos products for now are non fat. Kristina was very nice and offered to do a give away. The give away is as follows; she will offer one of you an Oikos tote bag, 1 free 16 oz coupon and 4 free 5.3 oz coupons. She will ship the prize directly to the winner. I will simply do a random drawing. Please leave a comment if you would like to be part of it. By Friday noon E.S.T. I will pick a winner. I will notify you and get your address so that I can communicate that to Kristina. (US. shipping only)

And now for the quick review (no compensation, besides the coupons so that I could try the product)

I'm going to compare it to Fage as that is the brand I pretty much exclusively get.

Oikos difference is, that it's fat free and organic. You can read on Fage's website that they " In line with our All Natural approach to yogurt making, our milk and cream supply comes from farmers who have pledged not to treat their cows with rBGH " also a disclaimer that reads "The FDA has said no significant difference has been shown, and no test can now distinguish, between milk derived from rBGH-treated and non-rBGH-treated cows" (wonderful stuff right?)

You can click on the links for their respective nutrition information. But for a short summary;

for 8 ounces,Fage has 7 grams of sugar vs. 9 for Oikos. Protein 15 grams for Fage, 23 for Oikos. Total fat 23 grams for Fage, 0 for Oikos. Sat. Fat 18 grams for Fage and 0 for Oikos.

So those are the product details. Much against conventional wisdom, I like my saturated fat and the fat in Fage is in my humble opinion a good thing. But I do REALLY like that fact that Oikos is organic. Very very important when it comes to dairy products made in the US.

Now for the taste.

This was an eye opener.....

The taste was a bit different from one another obviously, both had their own distinct flavor, BUT they both tasted equally GOOD. Normally fat free products don't taste right at all, but Oikos did a superb job with this one. I makes me very eager for them to come out a with a full fat organic version.

Thank you again Kristina for contacting Feel Good Eating. Thank you for your generous give away and try and get the ear of your marketing department, and let them know the primal/paleo crowd would love to see a full fate version hit the shelves.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.

"Loss is nothing else but change, and change is Nature's delight."- Marcus Aurelius

Links

2009-12-15T06:43:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share a little link love today:

Simon who runs this site has done a fantastic job, and the blog is full of great information. Look for a guest post coming up. One of the posts I enjoyed recently was about about James Bond (Daniel Craig). Check it out!

My friend Steve has recently started another fantastic blog; THE DAILY BOTTLE

This wonderful blog showcases AFFORDABLE delicious wines. He even tells you were to find them. Thanks to Steve, I recently picked up a bottle for $5.99 that I would have never known about and the taste was truly outrages for a bottle of red wine at that price. Check it out.

Coming up next, the blogoshpere gets smaller.......I got some attention because of greek yogurt.

SMILE

"Things dont always work out the way you expect......and that's ok too."

2009-12-12T16:58:00.005-05:00

My martial arts teacher always said this to us. And when he would say "and that's ok too" he would smile and put you at ease.
I thought about his smile this morning when things weren't quite working out..........

The 5k this morning was a first time event locally, and was part of the Greg Norman Merril Lynch "The Shark Shoot Out"

If you are into Golf, you can get a glimpse of beautiful Naples on the t.v this weekend. Possibly a little overshadowed by the Tiger Woods debacle, but the tournament is a popular one and a favorite fun time stop for the pro's. The course is located on the grounds of a Ritz Carlton hotel and in a very high end residential community. The race was laid out nicely and took us through the residential neighborhood.
With a start time of 7:15, registration started at 6:15 am. Due to the golf tournament, we had to park off site and busses shuttled us inside. I woke up early, made myself a nice cup of espresso, hopped in the shower and was ready to leave. Still nice and dark at 6 am as I got in my car. I try and start the car, my battery is DEAD. I grab my phone and call for a cab. Dispatch tells me no cabs for at least 45 minutes. As I stand in front of my garage, my old little scooter winks at me and I can swear she says "I will take you". The problem is, I know Ms. Scooter has a blown fuse. But I decide to start her up anyway. One step on the starter and she STARTS UP. I grab an extra sweatshirt and I'm off. I kept thinking in my head "and that's ok too". I took me a little longer to get there obviously, so the routine of getting there and taking in the scene had changed a bit. I got there with about 15 minutes to spare. Got my chip and enjoyed the fresh morning air and the excitement off all the people milling about. I got lots of looks and questions about my VFF's. The most common ones were "are you running in those?" and "where did you get those" There was 1 other young lady that had a pair of sprints. Made my way to the starting line and felt a good rush of adrenaline. My starting song on my ipod shuffle was ready and I was ready to give my first race a real go. Well, I did exactly what I told myself not to do. When the gun went off.......I sprinted like a mad man ;-) Bobbing and weaving (Thanks Andy, I know what you mean now) I tried to pass everyone I could. I was so fired up. Hey, I'm a greenie. ;-)

I ran so hard that I actually started breathing heavy and I think I easily ran my first mile in under 7 minutes. I couldn't sustain that obviously, but found my stride and watched the other runners. At mile 2 my calf screamed at me.........I only had one choice.....I screamed back and said "frik you calf" I kept a good pace and even though some 12 year old girls, a few older ladies and one really old guy passed me, when I saw the finish line I picked up the pace pretty good for the last 200 yards, I came in at 24:30. I was feeling very happy about it. Sadly my name is not yet on the final results list, as my chip was not tied to my shoe but my shirt. I didn't know where to attached the chip on my VFF's, so stuck it to a safety pin on my race bib. Guess you're not supposed to do that and now they have to enter me manually. So 24:30 for a 5K is a pace of 7:51 a mile. Not too shabby for a first one. Next race in January. Goal will be to go below 23 minutes. I felt good after the race, calf was sore but not terribly so. I had to go play tennis at 9:30 so went home took a shower and headed for the courts. I told my doubles partner that he had to do all the running though ;-)

I know we are not supposed to be to tied to materialistic possessions......but today I'm really grateful and in love with possibly my two favorite ones.

Thanks for all the support and comments prior to the race guys. It was really appreciated!!

Sushi Lovers 2, 5K and a Question

2009-12-10T06:54:00.004-05:00

Well I promised you all a 'Tuna Tartare" recipe, so here it is.
Find your self a nice piece of ahi tuna. I actually get it frozen from the local fish market.
I can't find it fresh very often around here.

Ingredients; Scallions, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, soy sauce, wasabi, fresh ground pepper and a tiny bit of mayonnaise.
It's hard to tell you how much I used of everything.......it's a taste thing. Finely chop the scallions. With a clever or chef's knife, chop and mince the tuna. In a large bowl mix it with the scallions. Now start adding your ingredients and keep tasting until you like it ;-) How simple is that?
I served it in a half an avocado.

I was just in one of those nice moods to cook, be creative and listen to music.
So I also made something else to go along with the tuna.

Feel Good Eating Bay Scallops

Thin slices of yam/sweet potatoes fried in coconut oil, seared bay scallops with a soy/sweet soy glaze. Drizzled with jalapeno dressing and a very thin slice of jalapeno. This was delicate, full of flavor and I even surprised myself a little ;-)

Let me know if anyone wants the jalapeno dressing recipe.

So this Saturday is my first official 5K. I feel very good, except for a small calf "twinge". I ran 4.5 miles last week, and even though it hurt, I ran through it with the exception of the last half mile where it was more stop and go. I'm excited to run, it's a beautiful course they laid out. I will post results, even if I come in around 28 minutes vs. the under 24 that I'm shooting for ;-) As Andy has said to me, "don't leave anything out there", I promise you all I won't.

Of course I will be running in my VFF's. I have a suspicion that I will be the ONLY one there in VFF's. I will just have to deal with the stares. So here comes the question of the day;

How do you pronounce it VEEbrams or Vibrams?

(Justin if you're reading, would love your input.)

Make it a great day!

Sushi Lovers

2009-12-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

I don't know about all of you, but I LOVE sushi/sashimi.
Like some type of addiction, I CRAVE it.

Short on supplies at home, but made myself a little something to "curb the jones"
Between some saran wrap I flattened out smoked salmon slices. Finely diced up some cucumber,scallions and nori/seaweed. To that I added a little dollop of dijon mustard and mixed it together. Lay on top of the salmon and add fresh sliced avocado. Rolled them up for easy eating and cutting. Really delicious. I had no soy/tamari sauce otherwise would have added that to the little mixture.

This week I will make some tuna tartare and share that recipe with you.

As a dad, I've always really liked this quote from Wayne Dyer "“Your children will see what you're all about, by what you live rather than what you say.”

Make it a great day everyone!

A Day in the life of Feel Good Eating

2009-11-28T07:27:00.005-05:00

I hope all of you made it through thanks giving without too much family irritation and that you didn't completely abandon your primal eating ways. I stuck to a bowl of butternut squash soup, turkey and a small helping of sweet potatoes with chives. I did have way too much wine ;-) But the selection that was available was so good, I just couldn't help myself sample more then I should. It was the only meal of the day. I had a real nice workout in the morning. It's not often that I can make myself a little playlist for my ipod before I go. and that I can go to the gym leisurely at 10 am. So a heavy workout, followed by rest (read naps on the couch), followed by a good meal. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving,

The pictures for this post are a day in the life of Feel Good Eating.
Above is one of my favorite "break-fasts". Probably my favorite way to eat Fage yogurt. A Feel Good Eating version of tzatziki. Full fat fage yogurt, 1 small clove of finely chopped garlic, one scallion, tomato, cilantro, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of evoo. Normally this dish also has some shredded cucumber, but I didn't have any. Half a small avocado. 2 stalks of celery provide the nice crunch for scooping up the yogurt. Ate this around 1 pm.
Later in the day I prepped up braised beef short ribs. Beef short ribs is one of the cheapest grass fed cuts you can get your hands on. It's delicious braised or grilled, the one needed ingredient is time.
Ok, here we go and see the pictures below. Salt and pepper the ribs and brown them well. (I used butter)

Once browned remove them from your pan and set aside (above). Now add garlic to your hot pan. Next add your onion and stir well. Next add carrots and celery. Saute this mixture for a while. Now add red wine. mix well. Let this mixture reduce some. Add your ribs back in there and add beef stock. Bring to a boil, turn to low and simmer for 2-3 hours. You know its ready when the meat is as soft as "butter". YUM.

Here's some additional goodness. Strain the veggies and set the broth aside.

In a small pan, reduce the broth a bit. Toss the strained veggies in the food processor. Add some of the broth and a splash of heavy cream and puree. Normally there is flour in this recipe and potato. It makes the dish heavier, but the way I make it, it stays "light" and then the sauce compliments it well.

A little more work then normal, but it's so good!

Enjoy the weekend!

Happy Thanks Giving

2009-11-26T08:42:00.002-05:00

I want to wish all of you a wonderful and happy Thanks Giving with your family and loved ones.
I'm grateful for all of you that take the time to read my blog. Grateful for all the information you share with me and the new things I learn from our interactions.

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present / love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure / the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” Sara Ban Breathnach

Sauces of a Different Kind

2009-11-24T06:46:00.005-05:00

I love sauces. Especially cream sauces. Richard at Free the Animal has some great recipes and directions on how to make some very nice sauces.

I keep mine pretty easy. Just add some heavy cream and at times a splash of wine and suddenly your ground lamb or beef tastes magical.

No did I mention I love sauces? Here's something that might surprise you to be labeled as sauce, but give it a try. I think you will be amazed and you will have tried something new. You will also have a new platform to work off, that you can make your own. The possibilities are endless.

What is this you ask?

Grilled veggie sauce with tehina over a burger.

Grab your trusted cast iron skillet or grill. Take some zucchini, tomato, onion and garlic. I also added a dried pepper. Toss all of it with a drizzle of evoo,sea salt and fresh ground pepper. When done grilling transfer to your foodprocessor and add 1 large tablespoon of tehina. The 1 tbsp. is in relation to the amount of veggies you see. If you make more veggies you will probably need to add some tehina. But give it the taste test as you make it. Like my grandma used to tell me in the kitchen "you can always add more, but you can't take away". With the grill pan still hot I put in a small patty of grass fed ground beef with a little diced red onion mixed in. I could have had 4 plates full. This is one tasty little dinner.

Want more traditional?

Here a simple lunch from the other day.

In butter, saute some onion and mushroom. Add ground lamb. Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. When close to desired doneness, add a generous splash of heavy cream. Stir and let thicken. Enjoy. Celery and scallion for crunch, tomato and 2 slices of salami.

Do you have a non-traditional sauce you can share? Or any sauce for that matter ;-)

Product Review UPDATE

2009-11-23T10:49:00.002-05:00

Remember my excitement about the tasty Eden Foods Sauerkraut?
Well thanks to my good on line friend Anna, I fired a quick email to the company for some information.
You see Anna had left me a comment that (as always) got me thinking. Anna has a knack of doing that. Thank you Anna.
I wanted to find out if their sauerkraut was raw.
If you've never sent an email to a company inquiring about their product, give it a try sometime. You usually get a response within a few hours and most companies are genuinly happy you contacted them.
Below the correspondence with Eden Foods:

Dear Marc,
Thank you for contacting Eden Foods and your interest in Eden products.
The Eden Organic Sauerkraut is a pasteurized product so yes there is heat applied. If you should have any further questions, please contact Customer Service.
Sincerely,
Sandra K. Baker
Sales Administrator
Eden Foods, Inc.
701 Tecumseh Rd.
Clinton, MI 49236
PH: (517) 456-7424
Fax: (517) 456-7205
www.edenfoods.com

On Nov 12, 2009, at 5:29 PM, Marc Van Dam wrote:
Greetings,

Thank you for all your great products.
I recently bought some of your Sauerkraut.
I was really pleased with it. I was curious if the product is “raw”. Or is it cooked in any way?
Thank you in advance.

Marc

No where on the jar does it say pasteurized. Buyer beware as always folks.
So much to my dissapointment, the sauerkraut is after all pasturized ;-(
Which of course destroys the good stuff. Back to making my own at home.

Chicken thighs and Vibram Five Finger Toes

2009-11-23T07:13:00.004-05:00

They only had skinless thighs at my market so this is what I did.

Salt and pepper the thighs, cut up fresh ginger and garlic, toasted sesame oil and splash of maple syrup. The maples syrup creates a nice crispy crust. Marinate for a few hours.

Wood charcoal on the grill. Direct heat for about 6 minutes turning the thighs a few times. Then move them to the perimeter of your grill, indirect heat, close the lid and let cook a little bit more.

Topped off with fresh cilantro. They tasted very very good.

Vibram Five Fingers;
My toes are spreading. I've written before that over time my feet have changed shape from wearing the VFF. The most noticeable part is the space in between my toes. Anybody have the same observation?

Passionate Fitness

2009-11-12T12:55:00.002-05:00

Passionate Fitness Guest Post.

For all of you that might not be aware of this site, Mr. Rafi Bar-Lev has put together a wealth of information on living well. You will also find there, great articles written by Mark Sisson and Richard Nikoley.

Rafi was a brave and courages army medic in the Israeli army. As you can imagine he knows a thing or two about injuries. He's always straight forward and available, so if you have questions for him, send him an email. You can also register on his site.

How to Get the Most Enjoyment Out of Healthy Living.

There's no argument that eating healthily and exercising is the healthiest way to live, so why doesn't everyone do it?

Well, firstly, sometimes it can be difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and secondly, a lot of people don't find eating healthily and exercising enjoyable. In the spirit of finally plugging all the holes when it comes to reasons not to live healthily, here are 5 tips on how to make living healthily a more enjoyable experience:

1. Find a Physical Activity You Enjoy: Weight lifting and sprint intervals are well and good, but not everyone enjoys doing them. Instead of going to the gym and working out on the machines, find an activity that you enjoy, like rafting, martial arts, swimming, or even dancing and go into it at full force. You will be surprised to find that even people who generally consider themselves "indoor people" can really fall in love with a great sport. Not only that, once you get really into it, you'll be hitting the gym anyway to improve endurance and strength for doing what you enjoy.

2. Find Good Healthy Recipes. Sites like Marc's Feel Good Eating are great because they show you great, easy to make healthy recipes that show that it's completely possible to eat great food without eating unhealthily.

3. Don't Stress Out About It. If you eat an unhealthy meal, or miss a workout, don't stress out about it. In fact, as long as you're messing up, you might as well enjoy it. The important thing is to just not worry about it and can't back into your rhythm after the relapse.

4. Workout With a Friend. While some people like to do things alone, many of us enjoy doing activities with a buddy. Working out with a friend is a great incentive to make sure you keep going to the gym, compare your progress, and have a good time.

5. Think Positive. As long as you keep thinking positively about eating and living healthily, you'll be better motivated to keep it up and enjoy every second.

Have a great day everyone and thank you again Rafi for this guest post.

Just Copy and Improve

2009-11-11T08:51:00.004-05:00

My martial arts teacher used to say; "you need to make the technique yours. Learn the principle, crack the code, ditch the technique and make it yours." You can only do this by consistent correct (key word, correct) practice. So same really goes for eating right and exercising. There are some very basic principles for both. The "technique" if you will. So practice those basics correctly consistently, and you'll reach a point where you can leave it all behind and make it your own. And you can even improve on it, you'll have to actually because it's yours now. ;-)

Chris at Conditioning Research has great recent posts about keeping it simple. Check it out.
I won't bore you with my work out routine this morning, so here's some food to try.

The players; shrimp,garlic,onion,asparagus,tomato,lime,cilantro,coconut oil and cream.

In a wok or skillet saute the garlic and onion in the coconut oil. Next, toss in the cut-up asparagus. At this point I added some cayenne pepper and sea salt. Now add the shrimp and toss well. Squeeze the lime wedge over it. Add the tomatoes. Stir.......dice up your cilantro and add. Toss well......add splash of cream in the middle (reduce it down a bit....when it bubbles it's ready) toss well and serve. The shrimp don't need long in a hot pan, so don't overcook them. This was one great breakfast.

Simple, fresh and easy ingredients. Make the dish yours, add whatever you like. You can give this so many different spins with spices and flavors. "make the technique yours"!!!!

Product Review

2009-11-10T07:01:00.004-05:00

You know the drill, but I'll say it again, no compensation here ;-)
Although it would be nice. I think Bryce's comment yesterday sums it up pretty good. We could help companies and their marketing efforts. Justin O, if you're reading , any chance of hooking up with Bryce and giving it a shot? To everyone not familiar with one of Justin's amazing sites, check it out. http://www.birthdayshoes.com/.

Found this over the weekend;

Was surprised how affordable this was. About $4.50 for 2 pounds. Just cabbage,water and salt.

I don't always have the time to make my own, so this is a super alternative. Sauerkraut falls in the category of "sense of well being" foods. Your body likes fermented food.

VFF's comment yesterday; I was in the gym, jumping rope in between sets, and this guy comes walking over and tells me he likes my "shoes", BUT, I going to hurt myself jumping rope without some support. I actually had a pretty good quick comeback. I asked if had ever seen the Masai jump up and down for hours. I told him i was pretty sure they don't wear the latest Nike's with 2 inches of shocks on the heel. He nodded his head and said, "hmmmm, that's right, never thought about that". I have a feeling there are some more talks to come with this guy, he seemed open minded and was friendly.

Do you use a jump rope?

Meat and Running

2009-11-09T06:59:00.003-05:00

I know it goes against the "grain" of conventional wisdom and a lot of folks give me slack for it, but I eat a lot of meat. It's tough bucking everyone's opinion and input, my advice; don't argue it
;-)

"I can't give you a sure fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time" H. Swope

I have found my stride!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I went for a run in my Vibram Five Fingers in the morning. After a few minutes of running, I realized I have found my stride! There was no effort, no struggle, no thinking how much longer, just a light feeling of pure happiness. I credit this feeling to my VFF's. Since I started running in them, everything thing has changed. My stride, my posture, foot position and breathing. I don't run far, about 5k most of the time (or less). But I just can't get over how much fun I'm having.
Talking about the VFF's, I was at a farmers market early Saturday morning with my oldest daughter, and I got tapped on the shoulder. With a big smile this gentlemen told me that "those are the coolest shoes I've ever seen!! Where did you get them?" I told him and then smiled wide at my daughter ;-)
It is a better reaction then I get normally.......most of the time people look at me and mouth "what the F#$@ is that???" Some people at work call me "monkey boy or gorilla feet".

Do you get looks when wearing your VFF's? Any name calling? ;-)

Have a great week everyone, remember that you can't please everyone and smile a lot!

A Few Things

2009-11-03T07:06:00.004-05:00

Had a great lunch yesterday with a fellow primal/paleo/ef enthusiast. Here in town from the UK to compete in the Iron Man world championship in St. Petersburg Florida.
We talked a good while and enjoyed a nice big salad with some locally caught grilled grouper.
I had to smile when a patron next to us, got up to leave from his table and said "guess you guys won't be ordering any fried food today". I can only imagine what most people think when listening in on these types of conversations. "UK Iron man" is here for a few days to acclimatize himself to the heat prior to the race. If I have the time, we will meet up again over a pint.

OK, this marinade is so simple and yet so "mind blowingly" good, you owe it to yourself to make it.

The only thing missing from the above picture is garlic.
Go get yourself some grassfed flank/skirt steak (about 1.5 pounds). Cut a cross pattern in the steak. Chop up around 4-5 cloves of garlic. Add some toasted sesame oil, dark rum and juice of a fresh lemon. Marinate over night and toss on the grill. If you have never tired this combo, please let me know what you think.

Dinner last night was pretty decadent if I do say so myself. Lifted this recipe from Jamie Oliver.
Chicken kebabs. Mix together fresh cilantro, mint, garlic, evoo and lemon juice. Cut some zucchini ribbons. Cut up chicken thighs. Mix the zucchini and chicken in with the "sauce". Thread the chicken and zucchini ribbons. Put it under the broiler. About 5 minutes each side. Keep an eye on it.....all broilers are not equal.
Try putting a scoop of fage yogurt on your plate with this. Compliments the dish very very well. Not a huge dinner, but paired with a nice glass of wine, satisfying and full of flavor.

Primal/PaleoEF Meet Up

2009-11-02T06:45:00.003-05:00

I've said it before, and I will say it again, I love love love the way our Primal/Paleo/EF community has grown (I started fall of 2006). We all continue to learn from each other and people meet up all over the country and the world, having formed respectful on line friendships.

Early last week I received on email from a reader in the UK. He told me he will be in Naples for a few days before competing in

This event will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida about 2.5 hours north of Naples. We will go for a nice Primal/Paleo/EF lunch and share some ideas. Pictures and follow up post to follow.

"Here is the rule to remember in the future, When anything tempts you to be bitter: not, "This is a misfortune" but "To bear this worthily is good fortune." Marcus Aurelius

"Just Do It"

2009-10-30T07:03:00.003-04:00

For me, this Nike slogan will go down as one of the best ever.

Richard (again) had a great post, responding to an inquiry from a new reader.

Some great advice there from Richard but also from all the people leaving a comment.

The underlying theme of the advice is simple and straight forward just like the Nike quote.

You've got to just do it and stick with it.

I think I've put up some nice food porn pics over the years, but I also want to show the kind of meals that taste delicious but don't necessarily look so appetizing.

Here's my version of lox, eggs and onion.

2 or 3 eggs, cut up smoked salmon and onion. Boil the eggs, mash them with a fork, add some cut up smoked salmon and a little bit of onion. It's a fantastic tasting breakfast, quick and easy to make.

Since we are all in agreement about FAGE , this is one way that I like to indulge in it. Cucumber, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

What do you make that doesn't look so appetizing but tastes delicious?

Nike Question.... So with the popularity of the Vibram Five Fingers and minimal foot wear, do you think Nike will be coming out with their own version? I mean the Nike Free's have been out for a while. Will Nike come out with a type of VFF? My guess is yes.

ENJOY HALLOWEEN.

Yogurt Dressing

2009-10-28T06:06:00.004-04:00

Just quickly; I'm in no way associated or compensated by the product/company below.

Product review. I had told Richard at Free the Animal that I would post next time I got this.
Fage yogurt has been in the spot light lately and yours truly loves full fat Fage. It truly is better then sour cream.
But I also buy this;
This yogurt with all of it's probiotic goodness and flavor is the go to guy/gal for dressing.
It tastes to me like an old fashioned home made yogurt. It's a little more sour then what your used to I suspect, but you will love the complexity of the flavor. Now because it's more "runny" it is perfectly suited for making dressings. You can find this at Whole Foods.

Cut up some scallion and cilantro, chop a little garlic, add sea salt,fresh ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Mix well and toss over a salad. Now drizzle a tiny bit of evoo over it once you've put it over your salad.
The dressing will work great with grilled chicken or lamb too.
If you keep it in the fridge for a few days the flavor will really intensify.
Have you ever tried this yogurt?

FEEL GOOD LIVING;
"We all posses more power and greater possibilities than we realize, visualizing is one of the greatest of these powers" GB

Quotes like these are wonderful, but I feel it makes issues more complex then they need to be.
You know what the above says? It says DREAM. We all know and can connect with the word dream, but start telling us we need to "visualize" and our silly over-analysing and adult thought process starts taking over. As kids we "dream", as adults we "visualize". I say keep dreaming, it will keep you young ;-) and you might just get what you want.

Grilled Vegetable Salad and Running

2009-10-26T06:30:00.004-04:00

No picture, as the grilled vegetable salad was inhaled by the large crowd that I made this for.
But do give this one a try.

1 Red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 hatch chili pepper (jalapeno or other), 2 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, 2 roma tomatoes, 1 large onion.

Char the peppers and then put them in a brown paper bag for a few minutes. This will make them sweat and it will be easy to remove the skin.

Next grill the other veggies. Helpful hint, I start grilling the onion when I first put the peppers on. The onion takes a little longer. Something else I found, grilling the onion whole vs. slicing it, keeps the onion moist and has a much better taste. I sprinkle some salt on the veggies (not the peppers) before grilling and a tiny drizzle of olive oil on the tomatoes only.

Grab yourself a nice looking serving bowl. Dice up all the veggies. Take a handful of fresh cilantro chop it up and mix that in. Now drizzle some evoo and a tiny splash of balsamic. Mix together and serve. I think you will have some happy customers when you serve this. My dad who isn't much of a vegetable guy, had 3 servings.

Well, the family has left, it was a busy 8 days.
I was able to sneak in a few workouts but did not get in a run. But, I did play a lot. Lot's of chasing, sprinting and wrestling with all the kids. My oldest nephew (16) is 6'4. All he wants to do is wrestle. I have to honestly say that he is very close to taking me down. Even though he was disappointed, I told him he was just a few years away from beating my ass, if he takes the time to learn about leverage........hehehe ;-)

My son who will be 11 in a few days, can not seem to get enough of running/sprinting. He is super super fast for his small and very light body. He was almost able to keep up with his tall cousin. This past Sunday we attended a soccer game at the local university. I didn't see much of the game as he and I ran around throwing the football and kicking the soccer ball on the beautiful grass on the side field. You see, real grass is a treat for us. In Florida mostly everything is St. Augustine Grass. So when we have the opportunity to play barefoot on real grass, it makes us happy. We played hard for over an hour. When I was playing with him I realized how poor my posture is when I run/sprint.
I carry to much tension, I don't keep my body straight and I DON'T SMILE!
As I watched my son, I noticed that 99% of the time he smiles when he runs. In the book Born to Run. The author mentions this. If you check out the pictures of the Tarahumara, they seem to be always smiling.....even after clocking 50 miles.
After looking at some pics from the weekend, I saw the one below that my daughter took of her brother running in the yard. Notice his posture, but more importantly the smile as he is running. (and he is barefoot)

Have a great day and if you're running.........SMILE!

Posts?

2009-10-22T06:19:00.004-04:00

Would have been nice of me to let you know I would be not posting for a few days right?

Sorry about that.

It's been a hectic week to say the least and my family is visiting from Europe.

So kicking it back in South Beach, FL. and showing them around.

I don't know if you can make out the satisfied smirk on my face behind the glasses........

My nephews, niece and my sister and I walked off the beach, an we walked past a " beach exercise area" of pull up bars and dip bars. We watched the tanned "hot-bods" do their thing. Then my 13 year old nephew wanted to try and asked me if I could do those dips and pull ups ;-)

I walked in there with nephew and after an intial look from the "hot-bods" with an expression that read "what you want here pops?", I busted out 15 super slow dead hang pull ups. Jumped of and did 30 dips. Not only was my nephew smiling wide.......but two of the "hot bods" shot me an approving glance and I got one thumbs up. Lunch outside under the palm trees was especially satifying.

Be back soon with some thoughts on how to stay on track when everyone around you eats SAD (ly).

Beef and Patience

2009-10-14T06:47:00.006-04:00

The other day I bought some rib eye from the local supermarket.

The rib eye was thinly sliced. Looks pretty good right? Well, sadly these steaks SUCKED!

Why do you think that is? Is it the chemicals they use to bring out the nice red color?

The zucchini was tasty though ;-)

FEEL GOOD LIVING

How do you keep at it? Whether it's your way of eating, exercising or maybe your relationships, your work. I'm slowly learning that patience is truly the magic word. You can't become a "fat burner" over night. Give it time. You can't be ripped and lean over night, give it time, be patient. You don't become the C.E.O of your company after just having started with your company, be patient, work hard, keep at it and it will come. Your relationship isn't instantly perfect, be patient it will blossom into everything you dream it to be.

"Within your weakness lies your strength, sleeping. Don't ever give up. All things come to those who believe and exercise patience, those who can't wait, give up too easily, and then loose everything". SB

SMILE a lot today......

Play and Pictures

2009-10-12T06:56:00.007-04:00

Mark Sisson has pointed it out in many posts. PLAY is a key component of working out and staying in shape. This little game cost less then 10 bucks. My son and I can PLAY this for hours. A great game where we are not trying to beat it each other, but competitive towards a common goal together. To see how many times we can keep it going. We leap, stretch, jump, crouch to rescue badly hit shots and to do whatever it takes to keep the ball in play.

It looks like my two youngest rockstars are out far in the Gulf of Mexico, but if you can make it out, you will see a large sand bank. This time of year, the sand banks are full of sand dollars.

These little sea creatures have a wonderful energy to them. The kids enjoy feeling for them with their feet and then diving down to get them. Since the sand dollars "pee" on them, you can imagine the added "yuck factor" and laughter they get from it. (I think it's a gas they expel)

My youngest showing off her first catch.

Do you remember when you were a kid, you could laugh so hard that you could barely stand up?? Try and find that laughter again.....it's very important I think. I was happy it was shallow, because this little rockstar could hardly stand from laughing so hard.

Two Rockstars

Anyone reading from Chicago?? Didn't it snow there yesterday?? Ok, that was mean ;-)

Anywho, back to food;

In butter saute some chicken and beef. Add fresh basil and oregano.

Toss with a salad. Romaine, red leaf, cucumber, tomato, radish and scallions.

Try this for the dressing.

EVOO, dijon mustard, fresh ground pepper and a small piece of melted drunken goat cheese.

“Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.” Og Mandino.

Steak and Salad

2009-10-08T06:16:00.005-04:00

I promised I would post a picture of the finished product. Well here it is with a nice salad.

I actually sliced the steak before grilling. With these types of cuts, you often have a thick and a thin part, so in order for it all to come out just right, it's easier to monitor individual pieces. Thanks to the marinade this doesn't have to cook long. Do not use much heat to cook. If it's helpful I used a "4-5 Mississippi temperature" (I use wood charcoal most of the time if I don't have wood)

For a different salad try this one;

Celery, endive,avocado,onion,evoo,balsamic, feta, fresh ground pepper and smoked hot paprika.

Different, refreshing and a nice contrast to the salad.

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." HK

Beef Chuck Flat Iron Steak, Change and 5K update

2009-10-06T21:31:00.005-04:00

Eating good grass fed beef doesn't have to break the bank. If your on a budget there are really good overlooked cheaper cuts you can get. Familiarise yourself with them and ask your butcher. They usually don't put them in the display case, but they often have them in the back.

Beef Chuck Flat Iron Steak, is one of those cheaper cuts. Much like flank steak or skirt steak with a little less marble, but more tender. Takes to marinades real well like the other 2.

Cut up some onion and garlic. Then lightly slice a little cross grid pattern on both sides of the steak. This will "hold" your marinade better. Couple of dashes of garlic powder and chili powder.
Next take a small container and mix some toasted sesame oil, tamari sauce, juice of half a lemon and a tblspoon of maple syrup. (you can leave the maple syrup out, but it will create a really nice crust when you grill it)

Mix it all together and refrigerate over night.

Will post pictures of the end result. Since I was shopping for cheaper cuts. I also bought some grass fed OXTAIL. I will share an amazing easy and delicious recipe with you tomorrow.

CHANGE; I've said it before, life is change. The only constant is change.....yet when things change, why do we dig our heels in so hard. Instead, try and let go, and flow with what's happening. They say to roll with the punches, I like to say "expect the punches" they are part of life and you'll be less surprised when they come at you and you will be able to adapt to the situation much easier. So..........just found out that due to a scheduling change with my kids, I can't run my much anticipated 5K tomorrow. I could stomp my feat like a little kid that's not getting his ice cream, but that doesn't really help now does it? ;-) I quickly found out there is a 5k coming up Dec. 12th. So that will be my day. Change, accept, adapt and move on ;-)

Jeff Erno just lost a cousin unexpectedly at age 42. Puts things in perspective doesn't it?

Wishing you strength and courage Jeff, through these difficult times.

VFF's and too much Cuban Food

2009-10-06T08:25:00.005-04:00

I never posted a pic of my classics before. I still love the classics, but will give in and buy a pair of the sprints soon. I can honestly say they are my favorite shoes of all time........even though my kids beg me not to wear them when we're out together ;-)

I have found that I have gotten faster with my sprints due to the VFF, my form is pretty atrocious, but I find that my upper body stays in position much better now. I attribute the enhanced speed to that factor mostly. Having played college level soccer I was pretty fast. I ran the 100 in 10.9 seconds. At only 5'7 my legs aren't all that long you know ;-)

Compare this with college level sprinters that ran it in 10 flat, it certainly wasn't shabby. I weighed a lot less back then, I was around a 133 pounds. Now I weigh in at 168. (still the same pants size by the way) I'm curious what I would run the 100 in now. Maybe time to saunter over to the local track.

My good friend took me to one of his favorite hole in the wall Cuban places for lunch today.

They special ordered/made us some "Vaca Frita". Basically this means fried cow ;-)

Too much food, and I had to be polite and have a few mouthfuls of rice and yucca with garlic and plantains.

The best part of the rice, are the pieces of fried up pork/bacon fat you find hiding in there. Good stuff. Fried Cow, isn't that fun to say, is flank steak that has been slow cooked with sherry and herbs and then friend on a griddle or pan to brown it and make the outside crispy. Served with onions and fresh lime that you squeeze over the onions and meat. Trust me when I tell you, this is really tasty fare. I think I made the owner feel good when I snapped a picture with my phone. I wanted to show him how much I appreciated what he had made for us.....I couldn't show my appreciation by cleaning my plate, it was just too much food.

Don't know if you can tell from the phone picture, but it really was a lot of food.

I ate quite a while just to get to this point ;-)

Do you have a favorite cuban food?