FAT

I'll say it again, there are fantastic blogs out there detailing how important fats are in our diets.

Here's one of the good ones. And so simple to make.

Guacamole; I keep mine super simple and do not add salt/pepper or any spices.

This way you can taste all the flavors. They combine perfectly and yet you can taste them individually with each bite. If you avoid night shades, just leave out the tomato.

Missing form the ingredients here is a tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Remember the "masher"?? Much quicker and easier than a fork.

You can put a dollop on a piece of romaine, on top of grilled steak/chicken, eat it right out of the bowl. Endless options, just don't eat it with chips ;-)

I know the "news" is overwhelming at the moment and for most of us, the times are not easy. So I will leave you with one, if not my all time favorite quote. The last lines of "Desiderata".

"With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

Boiled chicken????

Yes and no.
This is an easy one, and makes for easy "Feel Good Eating" cooking.
Add 1 or 2 chicken breasts to a pan with water. You can cut it up, or just put it in whole.
For about 15-20 minutes, cook it on medium meat (don't boil it).
Now you will have ready in your fridge a protein source to cook a variety of dishes with.
This was breakfast;

Saute asparagus and garlic in some coconut oil. Add the chicken a spoon of almond butter (or peanut or cashew) a splash of tamari/soy sauce, mix well and your done. Top with some sliced scallion.

Well....................here we go again with wheel of fortune of picture uploading.
Stay tuned. Ok...and we're back. Here's the quick saute of asparagus and garlic.

Boring boiled chicken.............

But used with some creativity........

You know what this is???

The picture is not great and I was to busy eating and slurping to take any more pictures. This is cold cucumber soup. I would give you the recipe, but this one is so delicious, that you will be paying for it one day when you come eat at my "Paleo Grill" (tm) restaurant. The boring boiled chicken is always great to add to soups of all kinds.

Enjoy your day everyone.

Simplicity

Well life is not always simple right? Or do WE make it complicated??

Anywho,

Let's keep our efforts to "feel good eating" simple.

It's really easy to make a quick good for you meal. Have I said this before??? ;-)

So from my previous post you saw a picture of the "masher".

Boil some cauliflower, drain it, toss it back in the pan, take a nice scoop of organic or pasture butter, add some dill and "mash' it all together. Cauliflower is a nice fall veggie to indulge in. I was going to pair it with some protein, but you know what happened? I started eating it and forgot all about making something else and ate just cauliflower for dinner.

Breakfast;

Here's another real easy and super healthy breakfast option.

Boil 2 eggs (I think I've posted before that I usually boil the eggs while taking my morning shower, it's a great morning time saver)

In a bowl with the eggs add half a can of salmon. (I will post a pic soon of my favorite brand out there, it is truly the best) Then add some evoo, a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh ground pepper. Done! Do you see what we did here? You can buy or make salmon salad right? It is made with mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is oil eggs and lemon. So we just adapted it and flooded our body with nothing but good for you stuff! Eggs, salmon and evoo. Can you say good fats and omega 3's?

You can find really good more scientifically oriented blogs, but take it from me, those fats are essentials for you and when you eat them regularly, you'll Feel Good Eating. ;-)

I will start posting some more about "Feel good moving your body". How important it is, but in line with the blog, hopefully giving you some ideas on how simple it can be.

ENJOY the DAY!!!!

The Social Scene

Does the "social scene" wreak havoc on your normally good eating habits??
I get emails and questions often about this. What to do when you go out to eat on the weekend for example, with friends or family.
Last night I had to entertain a group of customers and we went to a local restaurant. The restaurant is located in the marina on the water, and it's a nice touristy spot. The food is acceptable when you're on vacation and sipping a rum punch over looking the water , but when you're NOT on vacation, the food is acceptable at best.
Fried choices are plentiful and ALL dishes come with a mountainous serving of either rice or potato.
The bread basket was refilled 3 times during dinner.

We all pretty much know what to do to stay on track, but just don't always have the motivation to follow through.
So here are a few tips to deal with the temptations. I hope they are helpful.

Don't just say no to the bread basket. Why??? It might be amazing bread. ;-)
If it is, go ahead give in and eat a little piece. Why do I say this? Because most of the time....and I mean most of the time, the bread is not any good at all. So take the time to inspect it, evaluate it, rate it. And only give in when it is truly the freshest most delicious mouthwatering piece of bread you have ever seen ;-) This process will slow your reactive response down. It's a great little mind trick. Try it, it really works.
During the appetizer stage (which are usually shared by the table) pick of/out the little protein nuggets, your sharing in the dish, so most people won't notice that you helped yourself to just a spoonful of meat of the nachos and not the chips. Last night it was rock shrimp nachos. I wish I could have taken a picture of this dish, it was humongous! I helped myself to a few of the shrimps.
For the entree selection, enjoy your night out and eat whatever you like. Don't worry about the sauces or anything like that, Most restaurant don't use the best ingredients anyway (there are of course exceptions) so eat and enjoy. Howver eat just the protein on your plate, don't even bother with the veggies. And you will walk away from the experience having had a good time and not completely destroyed your efforts to feel good eating. Last little trick, when your server comes to clear the table drink a full glass of water.
Because he/she will be back shortly to ask about dessert. And that glass of water will make you feel bloated after the big meal ;-)
Better feeling bloated from the glass of water intake the cheese cake.

I have added a link to Dr. M. Eades blog. I read it often and has so much good info on it.
I refer to it sometimes and realised I never put a link to it.

Have a great day!!!!

Snacks (and an updated previous post)

Sometimes I just want a little snack. Nothing big, but just something savory.

A little "cucumber salami sandwich"

And baby carrots with a slice of salami rolled around it.

Simple right? I particularly like the "Applegate Farms, organic genoa salami"

Here is breakfast from the other morning. Tuna tartare with grapes and a plum. Not everyone likes this much flavor in the morning, but having grown up with a dad who ate herring in the morning, it's really not all that bizarre ;-). This one is bound to really puzzle your coworkers when eaten at your desk.

"Life was never meant to be a struggle" SW

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Frustrated with blogger and "This one is for Naomi"

I've got some good pictures to post, but blogger won't let me ;-(
Sometimes it just doesn't seem to work. I've checked the help/support blog and many others seem to have the same problem.
Anywho.....thought I'd at least write the my posts, pics will follow.......when we get lucky ;-)
WE GOT LUCKY TODAY. Picture uploading no problem.

Ahi Tuna tartare.
To save on the cost, I buy a frozen piece of ahi Tuna from a local fish monger. Just let it defrost then slice and chop. Add a generous amount of scallion, evoo, fresh ground pepper and a splash of tamari. You can also add a splash of rice vinegar (careful to not overdo it with this one or it will dominate the flavor of the tartare). Also add some diced cucumber. I combine both and make "Japanese cucumber pickles" Then I dice those and add to the tartare.

Home made pickles. Easy to do. Mix half water half rice vinegar and sea salt.

Naomi left me a nice comment so I thought I do a post for her and answer the questions she had. Kitchen tools; here are some I like.

• Salad spinner. It really cuts down on the prep time of a lot of your greens. From washing spinach and arugula to all sorts of lettuce.


• Small food processor. This is one sold everywhere in the US. Easy to clean and very versatile. Make a quick pesto, garlic and onion puree, almond butter etc.


• Masher. I just made that name up. I don't know what it's called. But grew up with one. (to make a classic Dutch dish called Hutspot and stampot) Great for making mashed broccoli and cauliflower.
  

Naomi also asked about "staples" in my kitchen.

This top 10 is what's pretty much always on hand in no particular order (except for garlic ;-) )

1. Garlic
2. Evoo
3. Coconut oil
4. onion
5. ground grass fed beef
6. Lettuce/salad of all kinds (including spinach and arugula)
7. cucumber
8. organic butter
9. celery
10. almonds
    

Keep the comments coming!!!!

Have an amazing day and make sure you smile a lot.

Comments and butter

I like it when people leave me a comment, so that it can take me to their blog.
That way I can indulge my a.d.d and just keep reading about a variety of subjects.
Jenny left me a comment today, which took me to her very cool blog called www.nourishedkitchen.com
As an added bonus, right now she is giving away some coupons for organic butter.
If you would like one here is the link; http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=168

The company makes a grass fed one that I particularly like.

Enjoy

Paleo gourmet........Chicken Mole!

Well, all the credit for this one goes to my girlfriend.
She made Chicken Mole last night.
And to say it was delicious, is an understatement.
It takes a little effort but when you sit down to eat, you will be rewarded with a taste that leaves you speechless.
You can order this in restaurants, but nothing and I mean nothing tastes like the homemade version, made with all REAL ingredients.

Toasted sesame seeds, ancho chili peppers/powder, bittersweet chocolate, cashew or peanut butter, cumin, cinnamon, coffee (very strong) and garlic and onion puree.

Saute the onion and garlic puree, then add all the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes until sauce gets thick.
Paint chicken breasts with the sauce cover with foil and cook for 15-20 minutes at 350. When done put more sauce on top.( I put some asparagus in the roasting pan for the last 5 minutes and removed the foil).
Nice glass of red wine is excellent with this.

Make it a great week.

Comments and suggestions?

Thank you everyone for visiting my blog.
It's cool to see that people ffrom Holland to Australia take a look at it.
So my question for today is; is there anything you'd like to see more of? Are there suggestions you might have. Feel free to share any thoughts or criticism. No ego here ;-)
Thanks! Look forward to getting some of your input.

A left over breakfast from the other morning;
Flank steak over spinach with asparagus ratatouille. Try this simple one; Saute onion, garlic; then add cut up asparagus and a tomato. Sprinkle a some parmesan on top at the end. Just a little will do the trick and really adds nicely to the flavor.

Here's a little shrimp salad with romaine. This is not for everyone that follows strict paleo. But every now and then it makes for a nice treat. Some vegenaise and natural ketchup and shrimp.
You can add a thimble of whiskey in for real great flavor.


Thought I'd share this for all of you that end up throwing out produce from time to time.
For example, when I buy a large head of organic romaine, I wash it and break it up (a salad spinner is really useful to have for this) and then I store it in a large ziploc with two wet paper towels inside.
This helps keep it fresh for much longer and it is ready to grab for quick use.

I'm not able to upload pics for some reason? Blogger issue? anyone have or had this problem??
(as you can see, as of this morning problem is solved. It's starnge why at times it just doesn't work)

Have a wonderful day!!!

Flank Steak

I bought a nice piece of grass fed flank steak. (about 1.5 pounds)
I marinated it for 2 and a half days. Here's the marinade;
1/2 cup (low sodium) soy sauce. 2 tbsps of honey, 3 tbsps olive oil, juice of half a lime, 7 cloves of chopped garlic, one yellow onion finely chopped, 1 teasp red pepper flakes, 1 teasp ground ginger, fresh ground black pepper.

Since it is a tough lean cut of meat, the marinade breaks it down nicely. Put it on the grill and watch closely, DON'T over cook it. (maybe even better to under cook it a bit.)
Let the meat cool and slice thin slices.
Also made some chinese cabbage with garlic,,onion, spinach and a little bit of cheese mixed in at the end. Don't know what possessed me to put some cheese on top, but it tasted real nice. Maybe it was all the recipes recently on http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ they all had cheese involved with them.

A nice glass of red wine with it topped it off. Al ready excited for left over flank steak for breakfast or lunch.

ENJOY the DAY.

I'm back

I have been away for a few days. Had to attend a wedding in Ohio.

I pretty much ate for 4 days straight.....all day....except while sleeping ;-)

Lots of old fashioned home cooking, especially Italian and Romanian.

I fell of the wagon here and there, but did not beat myself up over it.

Breakfast;

Scrambled eggs with salami on top of a small bed of raw spinach.

No meal picture today, so here's a shot I took of the top of the Concert hall (Concert gebouw) in Amsterdam.

A different take on steak tartare

For dinner try this sometime.

Grass fed sirloin steak. chop into steak tartare consistency.

Saute mushrooms, garlic and onions. Add a splash of red wine. (I used organic butter to saute )

When it's finished push it to the sides of the pan. Now take the steak and 1 egg and mix together well. Add it to the pan, quickly cook until the meat is no longer red. It will cook very quickly because it is so chopped up.

Serve with a nice salad.

The meat stays incredibly moist this way and is not cooked a lot. (but not quite raw like tartare.)

Enjoy.....be happy!