Thought is Energy and 2010

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.

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

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

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."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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?