Post workout eats, Hunter Gatherers and Satiety.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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!