Screw ups

You know how sometimes you are not supposed to do something and you do it anyway?
Why do you think that happens? Are the urges just too strong or are you too weak?

Do you loose "personal power" when you've promised yourself not to do something and you give in?

For all of you that have ever asked that question of yourself, my advice is as follows:
Be gentle with yourself. You are meant to screw up. That's why you're here, to learn.
Once you've screwed up, it's in the past. You can't fix it or correct it anyway. Move on, be in the present and learn from the mistakes and try not to make them again.

Like I had mentioned earlier, some of the content of the blog will be different now and I hope it strikes a chord with some of you.

Of course pictures will always be a part of it ;-)
Here was breakfast yesterday;
Ground lamb with fresh garlic, celery and a few grapes.

Exercise;

As you know I'm on a mission to become a Bar-Baron. It's not an easy task, but it's nice to have a goal. Lately I've had the urge to run. I think reading the book Born to Run might have had something to do with it ;-) If you haven't read it, get to it. You will enjoy it immensely. So since the running urge has come on strong, I've decided to start training for an upcoming 5K.

Have a great day everyone!

Feel Good Living

Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so." Marcus Aurelius

I wrote down this quote at end of a post about a year ago. It still really grabs me. Because it is SO real and true. Yet how many of us actually "observe carefully"? We are only human after all, we want instant gratification ;-)

Life is a beautiful thing, let it unfold, don't force it, experience the magic and let love be the greatest force in your life.

My son Jack, years ago when all he wanted to be was a "Dragon Slayer". I thought it was a cool picture for this post, since a key to our happiness is "slaying our own dragons".

Keep it simple

Life can get busy. When it does keep things simple. Take every little or big task one step at a time. Short on time this morning, so kept it simple and this is what breakfast looks like. Few pieces of left over chicken, half an avocado with a dab of fresh salsa, a few blueberries.

To some, simple might mean a "special K breakfast bar or a can of Ensure or something, but this is simple for me and it makes you feel good ;-)

In regards to keeping things simple. This morning's work out was a continuation from last week. Training focused on becoming a Bar-Baron. I had a wonderful and eye opening experience this morning. Last night I thought about my upcoming work out, and planned it all out. When I got to the gym and got going this is what happened. My stats for this morning; I could only do 26 dips and 13 pull-ups in a row. (Last time I did 40 and 18). I finished up with some other exercises and a few sprints. Somewhat baffled, I was curious why I was so off, compared to the numbers from Friday. I was not in the least bit tired nor did my muscles need recovery. Then it dawned on me! I had lost the "kid mind set". When you're a kid, you don't really think (read over think) much about what you can and cannot do. You just DO. When someone presents a challenge, most of the time you embrace the challenge, and you go for it. As you age, you tend to over analyze things. And that's exactly what happened with the work out. I was all focused and how many muscle ups I would be able to do, how many ladders I need to incorporate over the next months to get to the easy effortless 20 pull-ups, etc etc. Last Friday I had the "kid mindset" jumped on the dip bar and cranked out 40 in a a row with out blinking an eye. Do you know why I think this "kid mindset" is so important??? Because when you have the "kid mindset"..... YOU ARE HAVING FUN and YOUR KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE. Light happy spirit equals a light happy body. A bit of a ramble, but does that make some sense to you all???

Smile today!

Bar-Barians

I think you all will like this.
Check out Rusty's Fitness Black Book latest post.
The Bar-Barians are in one word AMAZING.
Chris from Conditioning Research has been posting their videos for quite a while.

I have decided that I want to become a Bar-Baron. It seems a nice goal now that I just turned 42.
The requirements are as follows;

40 Dips
20 Pull ups
50 Push ups
5 Muscle Ups
To be completed 6 minutes or less.

My starting stats for this morning;
40 Dips (in a row)
20 Pull ups (18 and 2)
And.....I was shot ;-) I couldn't even bust out 5 push ups!!!!

I do not have the technique yet for a muscle up. I say technique because I assume since I can do 18 pull ups in a row, it's not a strength issue. I will be working on it, and I will post my progress regularly. I'm giving myself a 3 month time frame to try and get there.
Anyone game???

And a random picture from my hometown. Many people get married on little boats like this and then just cruise the canals happily partying with a few friends.

Still here....

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been crazy busy. I almost have the next few posts in the "Garden of Eating, Cook Book Review" completed. They will be up shortly.

Above a picture of a "to go" breakfast. Some organic grapes, dollop of greek yogurt, turkey and smoked salmon.

I've been thinking a lot about my blog over the past weeks. It seems that there are now so many blogs out there showing daily meals, that maybe posts like this are becoming a bit obsolete.
It has always been my aim to show people new to primal/paleo/EF eating, that it is really quite easy to make the switch and that hopefully by detailing a few pictures and descriptions, readers would find some ideas and inspiration.

I think that the content of my blog is due for a change. I'll start posting a little on more involved and unusual recipes when I make them. This will mean that the food porn posts will not be as frequent. However, I will post videos when I prepare these types of recipes.

I will also start posting a few thoughts on "Feel Good Living". Just sharing some ideas on how to have a smile on your face everyday, and the art of always being in a positive and good mood.

I could also post about my way of exercising, but just like the abundance of food blogs, exercise blogs abound and I don't know how useful it would be.

What do you all think? Is there something you would like to see more of? Less of?
I look forward to some feedback, as your input will determine some of the content.

CARPE DIEM!

The Garden of Eating, Cook Book Review Part 2.

So I mentioned in my previous post on the book, how truly easy Rachel makes it, to create tasty and super healthy dishes. On that note lets look at:

Creamy Broccoli and Avocado Soup

4 cups of homemade chicken stock or preservative free chicken or veggie broth.

1 medium onion

2-3 small garlic cloves finely chopped

1/2 teasp sea salt (omit or to taste)

1/4-1/2 teasp of ground chipotle (start with less)

1/2 teasp cumin (optional)

3 packed cups of broccoli (cut up and discard tough parts)

2 large ripe avocados

1/4 cup minced scallions,parsley or cilantro for garnish. (or red and yellow pepper)

Combine 2 cups of the broth with onion, garlic, sea salt and chipotle, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Now add remaining broth and broccoli and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until veggies are tender. DON'T OVERCOOK.

In a blender, vitamix or food processor, puree veggies, liquid and avocado in batches. (handy Rachel tip, hold top down with towel and start on low to avoid splattering)

Return soup to pot and warm gently. Ladle into bowls, garnish and serve. You can also serve this soup chilled. This will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Rachel's Variations (every recipe in the book has variations and pairing suggestions at the bottom of the page)

Switch out the broccoli, for zucchini, asparagus or summer squash and just change the name of the recipe.

I've done this before, but sometimes the food is so tasty, that I forget to take a picture. I will make it again and snap one to share with you all. TRY this soup recipe, it's straight forward and easy to do. You will be pleased with the results.

In part 3 of the series, Rachel has been kind enough to give away a very special offer. Stay tuned.

I did manage to snap a picture of a recent Indian meal I made. "Bhindi Masala". I can't remember where I saw this recipe, but it's not mine. Lot's of fresh local OKRA to be had at the moment, so thought I'd give this dish a try.

I did add some chicken and a touch of coconut milk, which wasn't part of the original recipe, as I think this is a traditional "veggie" dish. (let me know if you need the recipe)

Here's a quick tip for the people reading that are looking to lean out a bit. This was dinner after an "Eat stop Eat" day. I was hungry when dinner time rolled around. The "Bhindi" was so yummy......that I ate 3 PLATES!!!!! That is not the way to do it. So be aware of your portions if you are coming of an IF day. Some say that you can eat what you want.......yes you can (except crap food of course), but watch your portion size.

I've posted some tweets about it, but I'm absolutely falling in love with Stand Up Paddle Boarding. So this past Sunday I introduced my kids to it. They took right to it. They smiled and played for 4 straight hours.

Especially my youngest (9 in a few months), was truly cracking up. That's what real play is all about.
Ahhhhh, the difference of a few years. The older 2 in the background, used the board for tanning purposes also. The 2 young ones did not stop moving.
The boards are not made for 2, but they made it work pretty good.

Have a great day today and makes sure to SMILE. It's good for ya ;-)