So I’ve been toying with the notion of creating a Fightingmywaistline podcast.  Any thoughts?

I spent about the last 2 weeks somewhat straying from the paleo lifestyle. And let me tell you, I PAID THE PRICE! My body was in absolute turmoil! Headaches, pain, bloating, and just about anything else you can think of!!! It was awful!!

Last night, I made a committment to get back on track and I’m aiming for a goal of no more than 20 grams of carbs per day for the next 2 weeks. Need to jumpstart and get the fat-burning going.

What’s even funnier is that since last night, no headaches, no indigestion, no swelling, no pain–nothing! Now the plan is to stay focused!

On to some good food talk: this morning, in place of cream, I used coconut milk in my coffee and it was incredible! I highly recommend!!

So far today, sitting at about 20 grams of carbs. Dinner ahead and thinking about baked chicken and salmon. Can’t wait!

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.

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been in a heated debate with my mind about giving up coffee.  Most of you probably think that’s ridiculous.  Maybe you think there’s nothing more foolish I could do but that.  Well, here’s why I would be willing to give up the beverage I’ve considered my mistress the past 12 years:

I can’t drink coffee unless there’s cream & sugar involved.  Yeah, you read that right.  I’m one of those guys.  I can’t do black coffee.  Black coffee is disgusting to me!  I can usually get buy without the sugar, but cream is a non-negotiable.  So, in lieu of adding un-wanted carbs in my diet, I’m thinking of giving up coffee and moving to a tea only regiment.

With Tea, I can drink that as plain as it gets.  No cream, no sugar, nothin’!  So, I will get a lower amount of caffeine and also be removing unwanted carbs from my daily intake.    Still thinking about it.  Just had a cup before I wrote this post…gonna head over for another.  LOL!

Your thoughts?  Struggling to give something up that you know you probably should?

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!

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.

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.

The American Academy of Family Physicians recently announced their new partnership with Coca-Cola under their division called Consumer Alliance.  Apparently, the new partners will be telling people what are good things to eat.  I wonder if the hefty annual donations Coke will be giving will have anything to do with recommendations and work from the Consumer Alliance??  I mean, if we publish the truth about Coca-Cola and Soft Drinks in general, then they’d have to recommend that NO ONE drank them.  That wouldn’t be good business.

Another prime example where truth is cast to the wayside to make room for the dollar in the food industry.  Horrible.

Full article here:

http://health.usnews.com/blogs/on-fitness/2009/10/06/family-physicians-group-announces-a-new-partner-coke.html

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!