October 9, 2009 • 5:43 pm
Last night, I had the privilege of dining with my 2 favorite non-familial people in the world…well, hell, they’re practically family…but they are none other than Marky & Trish. We were soaking up some good family time and watching The Office and all around just having a good time. Well, last night, the 3 of us tried a new Paleo recipe courtesty of our pal over at The Paleo Zone. We tried his Shepherd’s Pie recipe which you can find here.
It was very creatively put together, so mad props to Steve. I thought it was excellent. Not only did it taste good, the texture was excellent! Although, I have to admit, not a big fan of parsnips so I’d probably use a parsnip substitute when I make it at my house, but Mark & Trish were the chefs last night and they did an awesome job. It was delicious…so much so that I enjoyed a second helping!!
I don’t know about anyone else out there, but eating Paleo/Primal has been nothing but fun for me. I feel great! Just wanted to share that little tidbit from last night. It’s great to have friends that are making the same lifestyle changes as you are. It’s also great that there is such a large community of local and web-based people out there willing to share information & even testimonies! Very good stuff.
Filed under: Diet, Primal , Caveman, Paleo, Parsnips, Primal, Roots
October 8, 2009 • 12:18 pm
As I’ve been going down the paleo road, I keep seeing that people are coming up with alternatives to breading to match that insanely delicious flavor we’re all used to from deep fried things like chicken strips, fish, and anything else you bread to deep-fry. I have seen almond flour, almond-cashew flour, and an assortment of other alternatives to breading and I’ve been trying them and they’re great. But my question is, have we ever considered just ditching breading in general?
When was the last time you threw that chicken into the olive oil naked? Or the Cod fish? The great thing about frying naked is that the meat absorbs a lot of the flavor of the cooking oil, and if cooked at the right temperature, the meat will be juicy and tender. Another method would be to fry at a high temperature for 3 minutes on each side, then place into a baking pan, cover, and finish at 350 degrees for about 20 mins. Meat usually turns out juicy and tender and loaded with all the good extras olive oil provides.
So, next time, feel free to skip the breading if you find the alternatives lacking and fry naked!
Filed under: Diet, Primal , Caveman, Chicken, Food, Fried Food, Paleo, Primal
October 7, 2009 • 8:39 pm
So, on the drive home I began to think about what I had just blogged in regards to making pizzas out of burgers….I mean, the title said it all: They were just pizza burgers! LOL! Regardless of how you ate them, they were just a bunless version of a pizza burger…and truthfully, they were awesome!!! I followed that delicious entree up with a primal smoothing consisting of Greek Yogurt, Organic 2% milk, 1 1/2 cups blueberries and a blender….the smoothie was delicious and sweet enough to be called a dessert! Not to mention, high in anti-oxidants which will come in handy as we enter cold/flu season here in Chicago.
Filed under: Primal , Crossfit, Nutrition, Paleo, Primal
I’m a hardcore pizza guy. I love it. Growing up in the Chicago area absolutely spoiled me when it comes to pizza. I have tried this, I have tried that and just about everything else you can fathom out there to make a paleo-style pizza. Almond crusts just don’t cut it! I can deal with them, so I don’t want to completely knock them. So, in light of that, I’m making a whole new kind of pizza…one with a ground beef crust!
Ok, I know, that sounds crazy. But, instead of whipping up some alternative crust mixture from coconut or almond flour, I’m going to pan fry a couple of beef patties (70/30) seasoned with oregano and basil (1 tbsp each), and then, slap some tomato paste on those bad boys, lightly cheese them with some mozzarella or colby jack and then stick them in the toaster over to melt the cheese. Now I know the cheese isn’t exactly “Paleo” but I’ll suffer some cheese over grainy crust any day of the week!
I’ll post a pic if I remember to take one.
Filed under: Diet, Primal
September 15, 2009 • 5:50 pm
I’ve been venturing forward into a more primal lifestyle by eating a little more paleo. For those of you not familiar with the Primal lifestyle, allow me to introduce you to it. The more appropriate name for it is the Paleolithic Diet…you essentially eat like a caveman would…meats and veggies, little to no dairy, and low carb fruits like blueberries. It’s been a big challenge for me as I love things like rice and pasta. In fact, I made a bunch of pasta to have for lunch this week and next. It’s cheaper and easier to eat carb rich foods like pasta…$6 goes almost 2 weeks with pastas and sauces. But I can tell you this: When I eat primal I feel great. After a day of processed carbs, I feel like hell!
One of the biggest challenges for me would be to give up coffee. I get a lot of carbs there from cream & sugar. I love coffee. It would be the hardest thing for me to give up. I keep thinking about it and it’s going to take a lot…there’s a coffee pot on my desk next to me & I make all the coffee for our team here at work….well, I need to push through that and get on with it all. There are a lot of things I need to cut out.
Another hard thing is eating primal at work. It’s just darn near impossible….reheating chicken breasts is tough! Reheating most meat is never that good. Although, Pot roast is…hmm, gotta process this. Anywho, I need to get back on the wagon and get snappin with it!
Filed under: Primal
