Per Cordain, no it is not strictly paleo. Nothing related to it being “healthy”, just the impact on acid-base balance. That being said, many paleo Gurus such as Rob Wolff don’t worry about it. Most folks, myself included, use vinegar on salads and in sauces.
No one in the history of man has said, ‘I’ve gotten fat from eating too many vegetables’!
Psycho Mike
For the love of meat.
On this edition of quick and easy meals for the days you don’t feel like cooking or are on-the-go, I present you…wait for it…Trader Joe’s Ready Made Grilled Chicken Strips, one nuked plantain and half an avocado, all in one lovely red bowl.
Mini Eggplant Crust Pizzas
I’ve made these before, but never this bite-sized and they turned out great! I basically just rolled egg plant slices in egg white, then fine coconut flour, topped it with organic tomato paste, fresh mozzarella and then a bit of crumbled sausage and baked these little guys at 350* for about 25 minutes (check that cheese is slightly browned). And voila! Yummy primal finger food!
Worked through my lunch today but at least I got to eat this delicious rotisserie chicken, salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar de Modena and sautéed spinach.
Almost perfect score for week 1 of LiveFit! Sunday I failed on hydration, didn’t quite make the mark. I’m actually surprised I did as well as I did considering what I had been going through. Let’s see.
I was sick for half of that week. Extremely stressed out with my living situation for the entire week. Thankfully I’ve never been one to eat my feelings, rather I don’t get hungry instead. But when I am stressed I do like a glass of wine or four, but I managed to stay alcohol free.
Onto week 2. Things can only look up now, right?
On-the-go breakfast nom! LiveFitting it up in this hood.
Lunch nom from Tender Greens was a Mediterranean Spinach Salad that has spinach, cucumber, tomato, little bit of feta and free range grilled chicken all drizzled with Organic Balsamic Modena (I opted out of the dressing that comes with the salad).
Speaking of balsamic vinegar. Recently had the question come up of whether balsamic vinegar is paleo or not. My findings conclude that it’s not strict paleo, not because it’s unhealthy, but because of its acidic content. So in moderation, small amounts (let’s not drown our salads in it), it is fine. BUT, beware. Many may be labeled in the front as simply balsamic vinegar, but ALWAYS check the ingredient label. Some will have sugar, or “natural flavorings” and other junk. Make sure it is just balsamic vinegar.
Source: Paleo Hacks Forum
I actually really like the organic one we have at work, that I even went to Whole Foods to look for it (after noticing not any regular grocery carried it)…and yeah…one fairly small bottle is $35.00.
O_O
Tomato Pesto Chicken & Bacon Brussel Sprouts
Getting off work late and thankfully having already WOD’ed, I was determined to actually cook a meal instead of picking something up or having something quick and sad. Here is what I came up with.
What You Need:
Boneless Chicken Thighs (Free Range if you can)
Ground Cumin
Trader Joe’s 21 Salute
Tomato Pesto Basil Paste (check ingredients for no sugars or funky chemicals)
Coconut Oil
Brussel Sprouts
Uncured Nitrate-Free Bacon
What You Do:
Season the chicken with the ground cumin (I loooooove cumin) and TJ’s 21 Salute. Heat up a bit of coco oil in a pan, and cook your chicken over medium heat. After about 10-15 minutes and when chicken is nearly completely cooked, add the tomato pesto basil paste and turn over as needed to coat thighs with paste.
I cheated and my mom had given me steamed brussel sprouts already made, so while my chicken was cooking I baked couple uncured bacon strips in my little oven. Coat brussel sprouts with a little bit of coco oil. Then cut up the bacon into pieces, sprinkle on top of brussel sprouts and bake at 350ºF for just about 10 minutes.
Verdict? NOM and very satisfying.
At work today we had clients in house. When we have clients, we usually get buffet style lunch so it is easier for people to serve themselves rather than individual orders. Granted we order from fairly classy restaurants, but nonetheless, sandwich variety and pasta are ordered.
Two big no-no’s for me.
So I took the innards of a sandwich (roasted turkey breast, avocado, lettuce and tomatoes - and tossed the bread.
Saddest part, is that I’ve been queasy and nauseated all day that I only took a couple bites.
Hello fellow Fitblrs. This is me in a onesie, hugging meat. One of my best friend’s and fellow meat lovers, Chris, got me a chest full of of meat for Christmas. Does he know me or does he know me!
He also has started a tumblr. A meat tumblr.
If you are one with meat like we are, go follow The Meat Rack.
What do you give your fellow meat lover, @myquirkylife for Christmas? A chest full of meat!
I need to do a tribute to meat heaven. And I will do just that in an upcoming post.
But THIS is my steak from tonight. Had a chance to cook this boneless rib eye tenderized steak. I rubbed it with an Arizona chipotle seasoning and some pepper. And that’s a side of sautéed tomatoes, spinach with garlic.
Yummy medium rare goodness.
I love it when Whole Foods’ are big. That came out sounding a little pervtastic. There are certain Whole Foods out there that are larger than average. Meaning they have more corners where they make made-to-order foods for you.
I present to you, the Whole Foods Taqueria’s tostada salad sans tostada with free range chicken, bit of cheese, fresh guacamole, cilantro and onions over bed of greens. And lurking in the background is a watermelon agua fresca (made of only watermelon and agave nectar).
Primal Meatballs Recipe
As promised (I lagged, I know), here is the recipe for my primal meatballs that were a big hit at both Thanksgiving parties I went to. Now, the average meatball is made with bread crumbs but that is a no-go for me, so I worked around it. I made both beef and chicken meatballs because my abuelita has gout and can’t have red meat, and also just to have variety.
What you need:
Ground Beef (I chose grassfed)
Ground Chicken
Fresh Shaved Parmesan
Fresh Shredded Mozarella
Coconut Flour
Egg White
Minced Garlic
Ground Cumin
TJ’s 21 Salute
What you do:
To save myself time on the day of the event, I mixed the ground meats with all its seasonings and cheese the night before. I use the same seasonings for both meats. In a big bowl I mixed the ground meat, added the garlic, cumin and 21 Salute first. Mixed at first with a wooden spoon, but let’s be real, that got hard and annoying, so I used my hands. I then mixed in the cheeses and egg white. Mix. Leave cheese out for strict paleo. This is when I put it away in the fridge.
Preheat the oven for 350º. Set foil on a cookie sheet. From each bowl, I made little balls, then rolled in coconut flour. Balls. Dip. Roll. Repeat. For an extra touch, sprinkle a bit of mozzarella on the tops of the balls. Put your balls in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Verdict? Delicious. They were just moist enough, stayed together very well, and were a hit with my non-primal, non-paleo family members!
Did I Forget to Mention?
That I’ve pressed play again on this journey of mine?
If you’re on my blog and you see my “Progress” page, there are “before” and the current (at the time) pictures, but I was always careful to not say “after” because wasn’t done. I more so pressed pause and maintained. I have been back and forth between roughly 5-10lbs give or take within this past year.
I had been eating fairly well, sticking to primal/paleo nutrition (the occasional small cheats), but not so much watching portions as carefully. I hadn’t been keeping a food log either. Overall, I did well on maintaining but I had started to feel myself getting a little fluffier than I was comfortable with. So the day after Thanksgiving I decided, I need to press play again and proceed with my journey that I never finished.
If you’ve been following me since back when I was full on this journey, then you know that I never had a goal weight. Mostly going by how I feel and look until I get to where I am happy. If I had to pick a number it would probably be about 130lbs. I have no intention to be a stick figure. I don’t even think my body frame would allow that. I want to be lean and fit.
Another thing that kept me in journey limbo was me feeling so down about working so far away and not making it on time to CrossFit. Anytime that traffic was a big bitch or when I’d get off work late, I would get so pissed off that I wouldn’t make it on time to CrossFit. And I get it. I know I could just do a WOD at home, and I would at times. But it’s just not the same. Going from always being at CrossFit, with the people, that energy, that intensity, to lonely WODs at home? Not my cup of tea.
Needless to say, I was feeling down overall. But then, moving closer to where my box is, Redondo Beach, I made the decision to begin going to 6 a.m. classes, dash home, get showered and clean, then head to work. And I have been doing that for the last month. And down 7lbs since I decided to keep going on this journey.
Page 1 of 3
Design & Photography Portfolio
