When we set out on this path we determined to eat locally and seasonally to the extent that was feasible. Whenever possible we visit the local farmer's markets to see what that means exactly and to avail ourselves of the local goods.
As the season goes on we find our diet moving with it. In the spring when we started this diet we feasted on fresh greens, lettuces and cabbages, small early summer squashes and root vegetables; as they came ripe we had cherries, apricots and strawberries. Now as the summer comes to a close the choices have changed and our diet with them.
Yesterdays farmer's market was notably devoid of greens, turnips and parsnips. Cabbages are current but apparently lettuces are not. Carrots are still to be had but the babies are long gone along with the cherries and strawberries. Yams and sweet potatoes were not conspicuous if they were present; I suspect that we are between crops rather than out of season.
What we did see was a bounty of sweet peppers and chiles. Brocolli and cauliflower were still well represented as were tomatoes. Apricots and plums are going strong and the first of the apples and pears are in. Walla Walla Sweet onions and other varieties are plentiful as well. The small early summer squash have swelled to three times their springtime size and were also there in good numbers. Eggplant has made it's appearance. Raspberries and blueberries are in in large quantities but sadly were priced out of our budget. No worries, we can and have been making up this lack from the predatory Himalayan Blackberries that have eaten our backyard. No doubt we'll make a good harvest of them when I cut my way through them to reach our own plums.
Speaking of our plums there's something odd there. When we moved here about 14 years ago the tree grew Italian Prunes. We went several years without harvesting the tree and now the plums are a lovely golden color when ripe- and quite a bit tastier. Not sure what is happening there.
So last night we had a small roast beef cooked with sweet onions and summer squash; tonight it's elk stew with sweet onions, tomatoes and red cabbage. If that turns out well I'll share the recipe; it should adapt well to beef or very lean pork.
Speaking of recipes... among the many other current writing projects I'm putting together a cook book! I'm not sure at this time if it will be all Primal Diet recipes or simply have a 'primal' section; we'll see how that comes along. I have a LOT of good recipes of all kinds that have stacked up over the years... Hmmm...
At any rate we were able to come away from the market with summer squash, onions, eggplant, a couple of lovely tuscan cantelopes and about 8 pounds of fruit for under $40. In total we payed less than $2 a pound for fresh, mostly naturally grown produce. Who says eating well has to be expensive?
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Chili summer days...
Summer is not typically when I make foods like Chili; it's often too hot and the last thing I want is to be cooking over a stove in our very warm kitchen. But this has been a chilly summer here in the Northwest with only a few really hot days and even out anemic window-mounted air conditioner has been adequate. So in this case a chilly summer makes this a perfect Chili summer.
One of the packages of elk-meat that we received (TY again Glenn and Astrid!) was labelled 'Hamburger.' I defrosted that today and discovered it was not in fact ground elk. Either it was mislabeled or it was chunks intended to be ground into hamburger; whatever the case it made good meat for Chili. The meat was deep red and virtually devoid of fat. Aside from venison I have never had meat this lean so as I have done in the past with venison I cooked it in a generous amount of bacon grease to prevent it becoming too dry. The chili turned out very well (I could not resist going back for seconds) and if the meat started out gamy there was no trace of this flavor in the finished chili. Since most remedies for gaminess in meats seem to revolve around acidity I suppose this was no surprise given the amount of onions and such used in the recipe.
Here's the recipe I came up with:
Tinker's Elk Chili
This recipe makes a medium-hot chili.
2lbs of boneless Elk meat
3 yellow onions
2-3 poblano peppers
2 anaheim peppers
3 large tomatoes
3 heaping Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. Black pepper
2 Tbs. crushed garlic
4 Tbs. bacon grease
2 tsp. Sea Salt
Cut elk meat into bite-sized pieces. Dice onion. Heat bacon grease in a skillet over medium heat. When bacon grease is melted add meat, onions, chili powder and garlic. Brown the meat and cook until onions are translucent. While meat and onions are cooking dice peppers and tomatoes. When meat and onions are cooked combine with remaining ingredients in a medium stock-pot and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until ingredients are thoroughly cooked, meat is tender and liquid is reduced (approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours)
Salt to taste and serve with a generous portion of crumbled fresh goat cheese.
Serves 4-6
You can substitute venison, beef, goat or pork for the elk. If you use beef or pork you can substitute a little olive oil for the bacon grease but venison and elk are lean enough that the bacon grease really helps.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The kindest of 'cuts...'
OK, I do understand that weight-loss is not the only goal of a Primal diet, nor is it necessarily the best metric for measuring progress but I want to share this because frankly I am thrilled. Last week when we got our new scale it showed my weight at 284 pounds. Yesterday I was down to 278. Woot! Back to making progress on weight anyway.
A big thank-you to our pal Heath, Purveyor of Princely Pork, who upon hearing that we were on hard times brought us a large cooler full of naturally grown Mangalitsa and Berkshire pork. Mangalitsa is a traditional european pig that has been making a comeback in the 'luxury meats' market. They are famous for having wooly hair and the quality of their fat. When first experiencing this fat one Seattle-area chef wrote, "We were spreading it on bread like butter... it was embarrassing!" Most of what he brought us were cuts that he described as 'junk meat,' meaning very fatty cuts and bits like jowls, shanks, tails etc. The thing is these are still useful and tasty if properly prepared.
Many of these cuts are side-meat or bellies. The side-meat can be sliced thin and cooked like bacon; this is very tasty even though it lacks the flavor added by 'curing.' The bellies can be brazed in wine or other liquids and are considered a delicacy when prepared in this fashion. One thing that we did discover about shanks- don't roast them! We did one this way last night with onions, carrots and turnips and it came out amazingly tough and not very flavorful. It's not surprising that shanks would be tough I guess when you consider that several hundred pounds of pig was trotting around on them for years... Anyway it was not a loss; the vegetables were still tasty and after dinner I put the meat, bones and leftover veggies into the slow-cooker. I added some more carrots, sliced summer squash and herbs, drizzled honey over it all and left ti to cook on low overnight. This tenderized the meat and made it more flavorful so it made a good breakfast. Next time we'll know I guess!
We also cooked two of the bellies in the slow-cooker last week the night after that Heath dropped off this bounty. They were cooked with Walla-Walla sweet onions, and again drizzled with honey. We cooked them on a medium-low setting for about six hours and served them with wilted spinach. The results were amazingly delicious but extremely fatty- even after trimming some of the excess fat after cooking it was almost too rich for us but it was soooo good we couldn't help ourselves...
He also brought us a pound of hickory-smoked Mangalitsa Bacon. This sells online for around $20 a pound. We tried it and if I win the lottery tomorrow I will live on it. It wasn't merely good- we had never imagined that bacon could taste that good and we do love our bacon! If I could afford it I would happily pay $20 a pound for it.
Though the meats that heath dropped off are of exceptional quality they do point out an important lesson; don't turn your nose up at the less stellar cuts whether they be beef, pork or whatever. When thoughtfully prepared they still make a great meal. Do a bit of research and be creative!
We still have a good supply of elk and some crab in the freezer, and with the pork from Heath we will not be going hungry any time soon. I still haven't done the Elk Chili... hmmm... today just might be the day for that...
A big thank-you to our pal Heath, Purveyor of Princely Pork, who upon hearing that we were on hard times brought us a large cooler full of naturally grown Mangalitsa and Berkshire pork. Mangalitsa is a traditional european pig that has been making a comeback in the 'luxury meats' market. They are famous for having wooly hair and the quality of their fat. When first experiencing this fat one Seattle-area chef wrote, "We were spreading it on bread like butter... it was embarrassing!" Most of what he brought us were cuts that he described as 'junk meat,' meaning very fatty cuts and bits like jowls, shanks, tails etc. The thing is these are still useful and tasty if properly prepared.
Many of these cuts are side-meat or bellies. The side-meat can be sliced thin and cooked like bacon; this is very tasty even though it lacks the flavor added by 'curing.' The bellies can be brazed in wine or other liquids and are considered a delicacy when prepared in this fashion. One thing that we did discover about shanks- don't roast them! We did one this way last night with onions, carrots and turnips and it came out amazingly tough and not very flavorful. It's not surprising that shanks would be tough I guess when you consider that several hundred pounds of pig was trotting around on them for years... Anyway it was not a loss; the vegetables were still tasty and after dinner I put the meat, bones and leftover veggies into the slow-cooker. I added some more carrots, sliced summer squash and herbs, drizzled honey over it all and left ti to cook on low overnight. This tenderized the meat and made it more flavorful so it made a good breakfast. Next time we'll know I guess!
We also cooked two of the bellies in the slow-cooker last week the night after that Heath dropped off this bounty. They were cooked with Walla-Walla sweet onions, and again drizzled with honey. We cooked them on a medium-low setting for about six hours and served them with wilted spinach. The results were amazingly delicious but extremely fatty- even after trimming some of the excess fat after cooking it was almost too rich for us but it was soooo good we couldn't help ourselves...
He also brought us a pound of hickory-smoked Mangalitsa Bacon. This sells online for around $20 a pound. We tried it and if I win the lottery tomorrow I will live on it. It wasn't merely good- we had never imagined that bacon could taste that good and we do love our bacon! If I could afford it I would happily pay $20 a pound for it.
Though the meats that heath dropped off are of exceptional quality they do point out an important lesson; don't turn your nose up at the less stellar cuts whether they be beef, pork or whatever. When thoughtfully prepared they still make a great meal. Do a bit of research and be creative!
We still have a good supply of elk and some crab in the freezer, and with the pork from Heath we will not be going hungry any time soon. I still haven't done the Elk Chili... hmmm... today just might be the day for that...
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wild meats? I'm game
So- we've bought a bathroom scale. No idea if it's correct but hopefully it will at least be consistent. It shows me at about 284 pounds; how this relates to my actual original weight we have no real clue except that it's pretty certain that I have lost weight since we started this diet- in the neighborhood of twenty pounds most likely. Four months with very little increase in exercise- that's not bad at all. Close to 30 pounds since mid-winter all told.
The weekend before last some friends gave us some 5 pounds of Elk and several fresh-caught and cooked crabs from Puget Sound- Yum! We feasted on crab to our hearts content; not a thing we can do often. Thank you Glenn and Astrid!
Elk is interesting; in some ways it's more like beef than venison. In other ways... not so much. For one thing the meat that we were given is quite gamy. A certain amount of this is fine; it let's you know you aren't eating beef or some other common meat. Too much though is, well... too much. But there are things that you can do about this flavor that will reduce or eliminate it.
OK- realistically how many of you are eating game animals? I am guessing not many. But here's the thing; as we switch to more natural meats and free range meats 'gaminess' is going to become a factor because essentially we will be eating more 'semi-wild' animals.
The first elk-meat that we tried were a couple of T-Bone Steaks. Astrid had commented on the gaminess so I wanted to see how bad it was. I simply fried the steaks up in some olive oil with minimal spices until it was medium-rare. The meat was tender and yes, quite gamy. Linda was a bit on the fence as to whether she liked it and it was a bit much even for my taste.
Next we defrosted some stew meat. I cooked this in the slow cooker with two chopped onions and three apples cut into sections with about 3 TSP of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of seasalt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper and a tablespoon of crushed garlic. This cooked for about four hours. The result was that the meat was fairly tender and not at all gamy with a sweet 'gravy.' What part of this formula got rid of the gamy flavour? I don't know.
Another thing that works for getting rid of gaminess in meats like mutton, goat or venison is to marinate the meat in milk overnight in the refrigerator. Discard the milk, btw; you don't want to cook in it and it will not smell too nice. Wash the meat before cooking.
From our apples-and-onions recipe and milk marinade reducing gaminess I suspect that the acidity of the vegetables and milk may be the agent that reduces or removes the gamy flavor. If anyone knows for sure please share that information!
Other notes on game animals based on personal experience:
*Typically these meats can be tough as well as gamy but respond well to stewing, slow-cooking or braising.
*If the meat is very lean it can cook up dry- try cooking it wrapped in bacon.
*Game meats tend to go well with spicy-sweet sauces and condiments; I like to serve a sweet-hot home-made Chili Chutney with venison.
*I have found that fresh game birds tend to be very tough if not aged. This is OK if you are stewing them or smoking them but not so good for frying or roasting. One traditional option if to have a butcher dry-age them for you. You can do this yourself but few people are set up for it or have the expertise or facilities to prevent the wrong sort of decomposition during this process.
For now we still have a fair bit of elk- I'm considering a nice chili and if that works out I'll be sure to share the recipe!
The weekend before last some friends gave us some 5 pounds of Elk and several fresh-caught and cooked crabs from Puget Sound- Yum! We feasted on crab to our hearts content; not a thing we can do often. Thank you Glenn and Astrid!
Elk is interesting; in some ways it's more like beef than venison. In other ways... not so much. For one thing the meat that we were given is quite gamy. A certain amount of this is fine; it let's you know you aren't eating beef or some other common meat. Too much though is, well... too much. But there are things that you can do about this flavor that will reduce or eliminate it.
OK- realistically how many of you are eating game animals? I am guessing not many. But here's the thing; as we switch to more natural meats and free range meats 'gaminess' is going to become a factor because essentially we will be eating more 'semi-wild' animals.
The first elk-meat that we tried were a couple of T-Bone Steaks. Astrid had commented on the gaminess so I wanted to see how bad it was. I simply fried the steaks up in some olive oil with minimal spices until it was medium-rare. The meat was tender and yes, quite gamy. Linda was a bit on the fence as to whether she liked it and it was a bit much even for my taste.
Next we defrosted some stew meat. I cooked this in the slow cooker with two chopped onions and three apples cut into sections with about 3 TSP of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of seasalt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper and a tablespoon of crushed garlic. This cooked for about four hours. The result was that the meat was fairly tender and not at all gamy with a sweet 'gravy.' What part of this formula got rid of the gamy flavour? I don't know.
Another thing that works for getting rid of gaminess in meats like mutton, goat or venison is to marinate the meat in milk overnight in the refrigerator. Discard the milk, btw; you don't want to cook in it and it will not smell too nice. Wash the meat before cooking.
From our apples-and-onions recipe and milk marinade reducing gaminess I suspect that the acidity of the vegetables and milk may be the agent that reduces or removes the gamy flavor. If anyone knows for sure please share that information!
Other notes on game animals based on personal experience:
*Typically these meats can be tough as well as gamy but respond well to stewing, slow-cooking or braising.
*If the meat is very lean it can cook up dry- try cooking it wrapped in bacon.
*Game meats tend to go well with spicy-sweet sauces and condiments; I like to serve a sweet-hot home-made Chili Chutney with venison.
*I have found that fresh game birds tend to be very tough if not aged. This is OK if you are stewing them or smoking them but not so good for frying or roasting. One traditional option if to have a butcher dry-age them for you. You can do this yourself but few people are set up for it or have the expertise or facilities to prevent the wrong sort of decomposition during this process.
For now we still have a fair bit of elk- I'm considering a nice chili and if that works out I'll be sure to share the recipe!
Monday, August 13, 2012
A Weighty Matter
OK, We're getting back on track and I have lost weight; I can tell by the fit of my clothes. The problem is that I have no idea how much! Scales it appears are surprisingly opinionated. Every scale that I weigh myself on shows a different weight- it's getting confusing. Two scales in the same medical facility less than 100 feet apart showed a difference of 8 pounds. Either I lost 4 pounds a minute or one or more likely both of them are wrong. The scales at two of my friends houses showed different weights as well. I know my weight can fluctuate but not by 15 pounds in a couple of days!
The solution is obvious and if you are dieting to lose weight you should apply it too. Get your own scale. It won't be right but hopefully it will at least be consistent which is really more important.
The solution is obvious and if you are dieting to lose weight you should apply it too. Get your own scale. It won't be right but hopefully it will at least be consistent which is really more important.
Friday, August 10, 2012
It's harder than it looks...
It's been a while since the last post because this blog isn't about being a guru or an expert; it's about a journey. Just now a journey that isn't going too well. Ever since we fell off the wagon when we had house-guests (and no, I am very much not blaming them) we've had trouble sticking to our diet. I don't think we've gained weight back but we're sure not losing any and I liked losing weight.
Eating real, natural and seasonal foods can be expensive and lately we've been having trouble making ends meet. Some times this has meant eating what we could afford rather than what we should but the real problem is simpler- we 'fell off the wagon' with sugar and as any alcoholic will tell you it's hard to catch up with that wagon and climb back on. We're working on it but it's tough when you are stressed out over money and the sugar jones hits. But we have a plan...
It starts with fruit. It's high summer and it's prime-time for all sorts of fruits. We're going to stock up and when we start jones-ing we'll try to satisfy the craving by eating fruit instead.
There's also honey. Yes, it's high in carbs and very much of it isn't going to help us lose weight but it's better than processed sugar and a hell of a lot better than high-fructose corn syrup. It can be used to sweeten fruit or iced tea... or just take a teaspoon in your mouth and savor it. On the scale of dietary sins it ranks way lower than the alternatives. Sorghum or molasses can stand in for honey too.
Dark Chocolate is helpful too, the more cocoa the better, The interesting thing that we have found about really dark chocolate (86% cocoa or more) is that if savored a very little goes a long way. One square tends to be as satisfying as a whole bar of normal milk chocolate with a lot less calories. Again, on the scale of 'sins' it's pretty far down the list from a Milky Way or Three Musketeers bar.
Work on reducing stress. A bit of meditation and activities that are highly engaging and require concentration. Cravings for forbidden foods tend to pop up when we are stressed, bored or idle.
Last but not least... Stuff ourselves with good food. Green vegetables. Turnips and parsnips. Leafy greens and rich, well prepared meats. The occasional Yam.
One last thing... don't give up. Catch up with that wagon and climb back on and don't let an occasional slip be the excuse to give up.
Other suggestions are of course welcome. We'll keep you posted.
Eating real, natural and seasonal foods can be expensive and lately we've been having trouble making ends meet. Some times this has meant eating what we could afford rather than what we should but the real problem is simpler- we 'fell off the wagon' with sugar and as any alcoholic will tell you it's hard to catch up with that wagon and climb back on. We're working on it but it's tough when you are stressed out over money and the sugar jones hits. But we have a plan...
It starts with fruit. It's high summer and it's prime-time for all sorts of fruits. We're going to stock up and when we start jones-ing we'll try to satisfy the craving by eating fruit instead.
There's also honey. Yes, it's high in carbs and very much of it isn't going to help us lose weight but it's better than processed sugar and a hell of a lot better than high-fructose corn syrup. It can be used to sweeten fruit or iced tea... or just take a teaspoon in your mouth and savor it. On the scale of dietary sins it ranks way lower than the alternatives. Sorghum or molasses can stand in for honey too.
Dark Chocolate is helpful too, the more cocoa the better, The interesting thing that we have found about really dark chocolate (86% cocoa or more) is that if savored a very little goes a long way. One square tends to be as satisfying as a whole bar of normal milk chocolate with a lot less calories. Again, on the scale of 'sins' it's pretty far down the list from a Milky Way or Three Musketeers bar.
Work on reducing stress. A bit of meditation and activities that are highly engaging and require concentration. Cravings for forbidden foods tend to pop up when we are stressed, bored or idle.
Last but not least... Stuff ourselves with good food. Green vegetables. Turnips and parsnips. Leafy greens and rich, well prepared meats. The occasional Yam.
One last thing... don't give up. Catch up with that wagon and climb back on and don't let an occasional slip be the excuse to give up.
Other suggestions are of course welcome. We'll keep you posted.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Madness? MADNESS?! THIS. IS. BARBECUE!!
It's Seafair time in Seattle. Pirates, Parades, Hydroplanes and an air-show by the Blue Angels. Big Fun. It's also time for my friend Neil's annual Festival of Loudness.
Neil has a house very near the waters of Lake Washington. This means at each Seafair he and his family are pummeled by the noise of hydroplanes racing madly across the water and jet fighters making low passes over his house at three or four hundred knots.
If you don't know what hydroplanes are they are racing boats. Better to say they are a massive engine with just enough boat bolted around them to keep them from sinking like a stone.. They skim across the water like skipped stones with a suicidal lunatic strapped into them more-or-less aiming them around a course. The little ones at Seafair have huge, unmuffled outboards that drive them at speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour just offshore of Neil's house. The big ones, the Unlimited Class boats are powered by jet turbine engines out of helicopters and blast by flat-out at over 200 mph. It's LOUD. Then there are the low passes from F/A-18 jet fighters in formation...
Deciding to make lemonade of these very, very noisy lemons several years back he established the Festival of Loudness- a daytime house-party and barbecue for his friends. But Neil, you must understand, is not just a geek; he is an uber-geek. Possibly the geek to end all geeks.
Figuring that they would need a lot of meat for their many guests Neil bought a Smoker. But not just any smoker; he researched the matter and bought the best Smoker money could buy. Then he and his friends dove into it's workings and modified it for greater efficiency and improved ventilation and precise control of the smoke and heat. On the off-chance that some day a master chef somewhere else in the world might want to run their Super-Smoker by remote control they wired it to the internet. I'm not kidding.
It was worth it. The beef, pork and salmon that they served up that day were incomparable. But of course it was not enough... these guys are mega-uber geeks. Linda and I missed last year but we are told it involved some sort of rotisserie. I can only imagine...
So this year we arrived and mingled our way through the house, noting with primal-glee the huge platters of marinated and grilled vegetables, creamy Chevre goat cheese and other culinary delights that awaited us. Making our way to the backyard we beheld what this years BBQ-geekiness had wrought.
Oh.
My.
God.
This is the sight that greeted us:
The pairs of prime ribs were then lifted and brought to the serving table and sliced. This process was repeated again and again while we watched in awe. I mean come on! Meat and Fire, Gadgets and dangerous chemicals. If it had achieved the trifecta of guy-geekiness by being a competitive sport every man in the place would have swooned in a massive shared mangasm of testosterone poisoning.
Amazingly they pulled off this herculean feat with only one small explosion as liquid nitrogen shattered a block of concrete, but there were no injuries from the shrapnel. None that drew blood anyway.
The results? Amazing. A black-crusted slice of perfect, fork-tender medium-rare Prime Rib. Quite simply as good as the best I have ever eaten. Add to this the company, the other food and the floor-show it was an unforgettable afternoon. Thanks for the invite, Neil! I can't wait for next year...
Photos courtesy of Joe Brassy
Neil has a house very near the waters of Lake Washington. This means at each Seafair he and his family are pummeled by the noise of hydroplanes racing madly across the water and jet fighters making low passes over his house at three or four hundred knots.
If you don't know what hydroplanes are they are racing boats. Better to say they are a massive engine with just enough boat bolted around them to keep them from sinking like a stone.. They skim across the water like skipped stones with a suicidal lunatic strapped into them more-or-less aiming them around a course. The little ones at Seafair have huge, unmuffled outboards that drive them at speeds in excess of 140 miles per hour just offshore of Neil's house. The big ones, the Unlimited Class boats are powered by jet turbine engines out of helicopters and blast by flat-out at over 200 mph. It's LOUD. Then there are the low passes from F/A-18 jet fighters in formation...
Deciding to make lemonade of these very, very noisy lemons several years back he established the Festival of Loudness- a daytime house-party and barbecue for his friends. But Neil, you must understand, is not just a geek; he is an uber-geek. Possibly the geek to end all geeks.
Figuring that they would need a lot of meat for their many guests Neil bought a Smoker. But not just any smoker; he researched the matter and bought the best Smoker money could buy. Then he and his friends dove into it's workings and modified it for greater efficiency and improved ventilation and precise control of the smoke and heat. On the off-chance that some day a master chef somewhere else in the world might want to run their Super-Smoker by remote control they wired it to the internet. I'm not kidding.
It was worth it. The beef, pork and salmon that they served up that day were incomparable. But of course it was not enough... these guys are mega-uber geeks. Linda and I missed last year but we are told it involved some sort of rotisserie. I can only imagine...
So this year we arrived and mingled our way through the house, noting with primal-glee the huge platters of marinated and grilled vegetables, creamy Chevre goat cheese and other culinary delights that awaited us. Making our way to the backyard we beheld what this years BBQ-geekiness had wrought.
Oh.
My.
God.
This is the sight that greeted us:
Yes, that is scaffolding. With an overhead crane. To the far right are large cylinders of liquid nitrogen. Seriously. In the center is the Meat Forge- a wood-fired blast furnace. A flame-thrower stood ready to ignite the Meat Forge when the time was right. Out of frame the uber-smoker had been slow-cooking a few hundred pounds of prime rib all day to the perfect temperature.
While the demented cooks scurried about their preparations we snacked on the grilled vegetables and socialized, watching with some trepidation as the moment approached... First they filled a 55-gallon plastic drum with liquid nitrogen and wheeled it into position near the Meat Forge. The outside of the barrel was instantly coated with frost and a chill mist spilled from it's open top and drifted across the ground to the spectators. This was actually rather welcome as it helped combat the 90 degree heat of the afternoon. A man came out with the flamethrower and ignited the Meat Forge. While they were accomplishing this others removed the now perfectly-cooked prime ribs and brought them to the prep table where they were hooked together, two-by-two, with massive stainless steel hooks. These were then lifted by the overhead crane and carefully lowered into the barrel of liquid nitrogen, renewing the layer of fog in the backyard.
The now fully-engulfed Meat Forge was burning so hot that the nearby wooden platform on the scaffolding actually began to smoke and had to be continually wetted down with a hose lest it burst into flames.
After a carefully timed interval, just long enough to flash-freeze the outer layer of meat, the ribs were raised and lowered into the Meat Forge to sear the outside of the meat to perfection.
This is the Meat Forge- seven feet of electrically force-fed wood-fired hell.
The pairs of prime ribs were then lifted and brought to the serving table and sliced. This process was repeated again and again while we watched in awe. I mean come on! Meat and Fire, Gadgets and dangerous chemicals. If it had achieved the trifecta of guy-geekiness by being a competitive sport every man in the place would have swooned in a massive shared mangasm of testosterone poisoning.
Amazingly they pulled off this herculean feat with only one small explosion as liquid nitrogen shattered a block of concrete, but there were no injuries from the shrapnel. None that drew blood anyway.
The results? Amazing. A black-crusted slice of perfect, fork-tender medium-rare Prime Rib. Quite simply as good as the best I have ever eaten. Add to this the company, the other food and the floor-show it was an unforgettable afternoon. Thanks for the invite, Neil! I can't wait for next year...
Photos courtesy of Joe Brassy
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Slawter those veggies...
Eating a 'primal' diet doesn't have to be expensive. Cabbage can be the base ingredient for any number of tasty salads or 'slaws' and it's almost as cheap as dirt. Coleslaw can be a side-dish, a snack or a bed to serve fish or meat. It's a great summer food that requires no cooking, is quick and easy to make and goes great with almost everything. It keeps well in the refrigerator too. Start with this simple recipe and tinker with it. Add shredded carrots, red cabbage, bell peppers, broccoli or other vegetables, fruit- whatever you like. Dressings can be as simple as this one or as elaborate as you like.
Sweet and Simple Coleslaw
7 cups of shredded green cabbage
1 yellow onion (sliced thin and separated)
1/4 cup of white vinegar
2 tbs. honey
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed garlic
Put the white Vinegar, honey, olive oil and crushed garlic in a jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid and shake until thoroughly blended. Place shredded cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage and onion and toss until dressing completely coats the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Serves a whole buncha' people.
One of the ways to make a 'Primal' diet more interesting is the use of herbs and sauces. Tartar Sauce is a popular sauce for seafood but it goes well with a variety of foods ranging from raw vegetables to chicken breast. Commercial sauces are surprisingly expensive and often not very good. Here's my own recipe for
Tinker's Tasty Tartar Sauce
2 cups of mayonnaise
2 Green onions
1 Dill or Garlic Dill pickle
1 Pepperoncini (spicy italian pickled pepper)
1 tsp. of crushed garlic
2 Tbs. of 'pickle juice' from the pickle jar
Finely dice Green Onions and Pickle. Drain the pepperoncini into the mayonnaise then finely dice the pepper. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, refrigerate for at least two hours prior to serving.
Sweet and Simple Coleslaw
7 cups of shredded green cabbage
1 yellow onion (sliced thin and separated)
1/4 cup of white vinegar
2 tbs. honey
3 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed garlic
Put the white Vinegar, honey, olive oil and crushed garlic in a jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid and shake until thoroughly blended. Place shredded cabbage and onion in a large bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over cabbage and onion and toss until dressing completely coats the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Serves a whole buncha' people.
One of the ways to make a 'Primal' diet more interesting is the use of herbs and sauces. Tartar Sauce is a popular sauce for seafood but it goes well with a variety of foods ranging from raw vegetables to chicken breast. Commercial sauces are surprisingly expensive and often not very good. Here's my own recipe for
Tinker's Tasty Tartar Sauce
2 cups of mayonnaise
2 Green onions
1 Dill or Garlic Dill pickle
1 Pepperoncini (spicy italian pickled pepper)
1 tsp. of crushed garlic
2 Tbs. of 'pickle juice' from the pickle jar
Finely dice Green Onions and Pickle. Drain the pepperoncini into the mayonnaise then finely dice the pepper. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly, refrigerate for at least two hours prior to serving.
Monday, July 23, 2012
A friend in need and wetter water.
One of the beauties of 'primal' or 'paleo' dieting is that you don't need to explain it to your friends if you don't care to... most of the meals we eat are perfectly acceptable to our guests. Good thing, too as we have had unexpected house-guests this last week.
Some friends from Vancouver are moving to Hawaii and were coming through town, partly to arrange to ship his motorcycle; a trike actually, which is their only vehicle. Unfortunately the motor broke down rather spectacularly and they found themselves in need of a place to stay- but needed to save money to fix the trike and for their move.
Let me explain that our house is small... almost tiny. The 'master' bedroom is about 12'x12 and the second bedroom, our 'office' is even smaller. But needs must, so we removed the kennel from the office to the kitchen and relocated our computers to the dining table in the living room. We procured an air mattress and we were set. We were a bit concerned to have four adults sharing a bathroom but Aedan and Erika have been model house-guests. It's actually been quite pleasant having them here. Being good house guests of course they brought us Krispy Kreme doughnuts, sodas and other treats. Our diet has suffered. This was exacerbated by a joint birthday celebration for my two older brothers where salmon burgers, brots, potato salad and Chocolate cake were served. Sometimes you just have to shrug and roll with it.
In our turn we have been feeding them our diet and they have likely benefited more from the trade than we have... Naturally we told them about our diet, but had we not they might not have noticed. Serving a meal of meat, vegetables and salad with fruit for desert is hardly 'out there' after all. Here's what we had for dinner last night:
Slow-Cooked Pork Chops with Turnips and Carrots
1 pork chop per diner
Crushed Garlic
1 large Turnip per diner
1 cup of peeled baby carrots per diner
1/4 cup honey
Place a pork chop in the center of the slow cooker and cover generously with crushed garlic. Stack another on top of that and repeat. Obviously if you have a lot of guests you will need a bigger slow-cooker and multiple stacks. Wash turnips thoroughly and cut into pieces of roughly twice bite-sized and fill in around chops with turnip pieces. Cover the turnips and chops with baby carrots and drizzle the honey over everything in the pot. Cook on your slow cooker's High setting for four hours (five hours if chops are frozen.) The meat will be falling off of the bones, Remove the bones and serve immediately. The meat will be tender and flavorful and the turnips will have picked up the other flavors. Serve with a salad and/or fresh fruit. Easy and delicious!
I've mentioned washing your fruits and vegetables... let's talk that a bit. First off why wash produce? After all, modern supermarkets have misters spraying the veggies every five minutes, right? They ought to be clean, right? Nope. Why not? Because water isn't wet enough. Uh... come again?
Simple really; it's a matter of surface tension. Water on a smooth surface forms into drops because of surface tension. Bugs can run across water because of surface tension. Water doesn't easily saturate fine dust because of surface tension. Without going into the full science class suffice it to say that when something is small enough water goes over or around it rather than getting it wet.
While part of the reason for washing produce is to remove visible dirt it's more important function is to remove bacteria and pesticides which are so small that water simply won't wash them away unless we break the surface tension. Which is where soap comes in. The way that soap works is simply to make water wetter by breaking the surface tension, which allows it to wash away tiny particles like bacteria and pesticides. The good news is that it takes very little soap to accomplish this and nearly any soap will do. Depending on what you use 2 tablespoons of liquid soap will do for an average dish-tub of water (about a gallon) and you can wash all of your vegetables at once before stashing them in the fridge or whatever. Just gently wash your veggies and rinse thoroughly and dry them or allow them to dry on a rack. This simple process can prevent E.Coli, Salmonella and a variety of other noxious ailments- not to mention removing pesticides which let's face it just can't be good for you.
Some friends from Vancouver are moving to Hawaii and were coming through town, partly to arrange to ship his motorcycle; a trike actually, which is their only vehicle. Unfortunately the motor broke down rather spectacularly and they found themselves in need of a place to stay- but needed to save money to fix the trike and for their move.
Let me explain that our house is small... almost tiny. The 'master' bedroom is about 12'x12 and the second bedroom, our 'office' is even smaller. But needs must, so we removed the kennel from the office to the kitchen and relocated our computers to the dining table in the living room. We procured an air mattress and we were set. We were a bit concerned to have four adults sharing a bathroom but Aedan and Erika have been model house-guests. It's actually been quite pleasant having them here. Being good house guests of course they brought us Krispy Kreme doughnuts, sodas and other treats. Our diet has suffered. This was exacerbated by a joint birthday celebration for my two older brothers where salmon burgers, brots, potato salad and Chocolate cake were served. Sometimes you just have to shrug and roll with it.
In our turn we have been feeding them our diet and they have likely benefited more from the trade than we have... Naturally we told them about our diet, but had we not they might not have noticed. Serving a meal of meat, vegetables and salad with fruit for desert is hardly 'out there' after all. Here's what we had for dinner last night:
Slow-Cooked Pork Chops with Turnips and Carrots
1 pork chop per diner
Crushed Garlic
1 large Turnip per diner
1 cup of peeled baby carrots per diner
1/4 cup honey
Place a pork chop in the center of the slow cooker and cover generously with crushed garlic. Stack another on top of that and repeat. Obviously if you have a lot of guests you will need a bigger slow-cooker and multiple stacks. Wash turnips thoroughly and cut into pieces of roughly twice bite-sized and fill in around chops with turnip pieces. Cover the turnips and chops with baby carrots and drizzle the honey over everything in the pot. Cook on your slow cooker's High setting for four hours (five hours if chops are frozen.) The meat will be falling off of the bones, Remove the bones and serve immediately. The meat will be tender and flavorful and the turnips will have picked up the other flavors. Serve with a salad and/or fresh fruit. Easy and delicious!
I've mentioned washing your fruits and vegetables... let's talk that a bit. First off why wash produce? After all, modern supermarkets have misters spraying the veggies every five minutes, right? They ought to be clean, right? Nope. Why not? Because water isn't wet enough. Uh... come again?
Simple really; it's a matter of surface tension. Water on a smooth surface forms into drops because of surface tension. Bugs can run across water because of surface tension. Water doesn't easily saturate fine dust because of surface tension. Without going into the full science class suffice it to say that when something is small enough water goes over or around it rather than getting it wet.
While part of the reason for washing produce is to remove visible dirt it's more important function is to remove bacteria and pesticides which are so small that water simply won't wash them away unless we break the surface tension. Which is where soap comes in. The way that soap works is simply to make water wetter by breaking the surface tension, which allows it to wash away tiny particles like bacteria and pesticides. The good news is that it takes very little soap to accomplish this and nearly any soap will do. Depending on what you use 2 tablespoons of liquid soap will do for an average dish-tub of water (about a gallon) and you can wash all of your vegetables at once before stashing them in the fridge or whatever. Just gently wash your veggies and rinse thoroughly and dry them or allow them to dry on a rack. This simple process can prevent E.Coli, Salmonella and a variety of other noxious ailments- not to mention removing pesticides which let's face it just can't be good for you.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Modern Primitives...
Apparently I know a lot of primitive people... As things have progressed I have been getting in touch with a lot of old friends and a surprising number of them have adopted one variation or other of a Primal Diet. Maybe that's just the kind of friends I have; I was accused of being a cave-man long before I started dieting... But maybe it's a sign that people are starting to wake up and pay attention to what they eat? One can only hope; the more people insist on natural foods the better the supply will be and the easier it will become to maintain a healthy diet.
Last night we went to dinner at the house of an old friend that I hadn't visited with for a few years. She and her hubby served up roast beef with sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and onions. Desert was blueberries with home-made organic whipped cream. Among their cookbooks was 'The Primal Solution.' They didn't make a big deal about it but the dinner was largely from natural and/or organic sources, was seasonally appropriate and a perfect fit with our diet.
Parsnips, which I have been meaning to try, are quite yummy when baked with a roast beef. One more thing to add to our own menu. We're on the lookout for turnips too... I'm told turnip greens are worthy as well as the bulb. I'm looking forward to finding out...
Last night we went to dinner at the house of an old friend that I hadn't visited with for a few years. She and her hubby served up roast beef with sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots and onions. Desert was blueberries with home-made organic whipped cream. Among their cookbooks was 'The Primal Solution.' They didn't make a big deal about it but the dinner was largely from natural and/or organic sources, was seasonally appropriate and a perfect fit with our diet.
Parsnips, which I have been meaning to try, are quite yummy when baked with a roast beef. One more thing to add to our own menu. We're on the lookout for turnips too... I'm told turnip greens are worthy as well as the bulb. I'm looking forward to finding out...
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Princely Pigs, Fancy Fat and Farmers
I've recommended Farmer's Markets and getting to know your local producers; not only do you get to know where your food is coming from but building relationships with the producers is invaluable. Not to mention that they are generally darn nice and often interesting people. As an example this week we got twenty pounds of premium naturally-grown Berkshire pork for $5 a pound. Plus he threw in about 5 lbs. of gourmet Mangalitsa pork fat for us to render into lard. Yes, there is 'gourmet' pork fat. If we could find this stuff in a store it would be $15-20 a pound. How? We met the producer at the West Seattle Farmer's market years ago and got to know about him and his business. When we had a few dollars to spare for meat we called him and asked for a deal.
Similarly we have gotten cheeses, vegetables, goat's milk, free-range eggs etc. by meeting the producers and getting to know them. Yes, we still have to pay for these things and yes some of them are more expensive than their supermarket equivalents but they taste better, are better for us and we're helping local small businesses. All good things.
We're loving the summertime; mining the Renton farmer's market has been a treat; we have a variety of fresh, pesticide-free produce, we try new things and for about $40 we have fruit and vegetables for a week. Fabu!
He also very generously included a 2 lb. slab Lardo- not to be confused with Lard. Lardo is a type of salume (Italian cured meats generally made from pork.) Lardo is made by curing strips of fatback with rosemary, herbs and spices in coffin-shaped basins of Carrerra Marble. The most famous lardo is from Colonnata in Tuscany where they have been making it since Roman times but this product is very difficult to import. The product that we were given is made in San Diego, California by Knight Salume Company. We tried it and the flavor is phenomenal... but the texture? It's fat and no matter how yummy it is super-rich and greasy; very much of it by itself would make us feel ill. Further research reveals that among the various ways it is served is sliced paper-thin as part of an anti-pasto, melted onto bread, stacked on crackers with assorted veggies etc. It is also used as an ingredient in various dishes. I am very excited over the potential for cooking with this stuff; imagine slow-cooking a pork roast covered in thin slices of lardo. Or mince the lardo, melt it and sautee spinach or other greens... *drool* I'm looking forward to exploring the possibilities.
Similarly we have gotten cheeses, vegetables, goat's milk, free-range eggs etc. by meeting the producers and getting to know them. Yes, we still have to pay for these things and yes some of them are more expensive than their supermarket equivalents but they taste better, are better for us and we're helping local small businesses. All good things.
We're loving the summertime; mining the Renton farmer's market has been a treat; we have a variety of fresh, pesticide-free produce, we try new things and for about $40 we have fruit and vegetables for a week. Fabu!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
A sudden feeling of loss...
So just the quickest of quick updates... We have not been weighing in regularly but tonight a scale presented itself to me so I weighed in. When I started this blog on March 23rd I weighed 300 pounds. I thought that I was down to about 290lbs despite the feeling that I have been stuffing myself with all of this good food. I was incorrect...
280lbs. I have lost twenty pounds! *does happy cave-man dance*
280lbs. I have lost twenty pounds! *does happy cave-man dance*
Sunday, July 8, 2012
It's a mystery...
I mentioned picking up a 'mystery vegetable' at the farmer's market on Tuesday. It's about the size of a softball, is quite dense and has leaves growing out of it. No one could agree on how to pronounce the name the same way twice and opinions varied as to how it should be cooked. So have a look- what is it?
Is it tasty? Is it nutritious? If I leave it in my basement will it grow into an alien-zombie doppelganger and secretly replace me?
Right, let's have a look then...
OK, that's not too weird. No alien fetuses... so far so good.
Hmmm... kind of like Jicama. I gingerly tasted a slice of the raw veggie and it wasn't bad. Crisp and sort of like a cross between a turnip and a carrot. Probably be good in a green salad. Next I heated a little oil in a saucepan and browned some.
The flavor was little affected and it became less crisp. A liberal application of sea-salt and a dusting of ground black pepper was a great benefit. Interesting. I sliced up some leftover beef from last night and started heating it in the saucepan with some crushed garlic. I added some leftover chopped cauliflower and the mystery veggie (Carrip? Turrot?) and some crumpled fresh goat cheese and voila! Breakfast.
Mmmmm... food! My Favorite!
The experiment was a success and we had a tasty breakfast. Linda was not a fan of the goat cheese and suggested that adding an Onion to the mix would be a benefit and I had to agree the Mystery Veggie would go well with onions.
Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. Experiment, have some fun. And please...
Some one tell me what this thing is and what to do with the remaining bit.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Support your local farmers...
So we needed some groceries today and stopped by the local farmer's market which is just down the hill from us in downtown Renton, WA. Produce is coming in from the Yakima Valley; it's over the mountains about a 4 hour drive away but it's a hell of a lot more local than Chile... The weather warms up over there a lot faster than it does on this side of the mountains so things tend to be ripe sooner.
There were at least 8 produce vendors there but they all had pretty much the same stuff... fresh green and yellow string beans, snow peas, squash, zucchini and more... We got some very nice beets with nice, thick greens, fresh local honey, an enormous lettuce, some spicy white radishes, some yellow squash, the first of the Walla Walla Sweet onions, apricots ($1 a pound!) and Bing Cherries. We also scored 3 lbs. of pickling cucumbers for home-made pickles as well as a mystery vegetable that no one seemed to know how to pronounce and opinions varied as to how to prepare... Pics of that tomorrow and maybe some sort of prize for the first person to identify it.
Inspired by the fresh fruit and vegetables we put together an amazing dinner of pork-roast and fresh greens...
Slow-Cooked Pork Roast with Apricots and Bing Cherries
1 2-3lb Pork shoulder roast
1 lb. of apricots
1/4 cup honey
1/2 lbs. of Bing Cherries
Place the pork-roast fat-side up in a slow-cooker set on High. Pit and quarter Apricots and toss thoroughly with honey. Fill space surrounding roast with apricots. Drizzle remaining honey over roast. Half and pit cherries and cover the meat with cherries. Slow-cook for 3-4 hours or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove roast and slice, serve topped with fruit or with fruit on the side. The pork will be melt-in-your-mouth tender and sweet from the honey and fruit. Ambrosia! Serves 4-6
Sauteed Beet Greens
You paid for those greens; why throw them away? Beet greens have a 'hard' texture that almost demands cooking to soften the leaves. The raw leaves also have a slightly bitter finish that cooking and appropriate spicing diminishes. Under cooking the leaves become tender and generally these greens respond well to somewhat more thorough cooking than spinach.
1/2 lb. Beet Greens
4 Tbs. Olive oil
1 White Radish
1 Tbs. Crushed Garlic
1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper
Sea-salt
Finely dice the white radish and heat with the garlic and olive oil in a 12 inch saucepan over medium-low heat until oil begins to sizzle; this allows the flavors to permeate the oil. Chop Beet Greens into preferred size. Increase heat to medium and add stems to oil and cook until tender then add greens. Add pepper and sea-salt; the salt is important as it helps to cut the greens naturally slightly bitter aftertaste. Toss the greens until thoroughly coated then cook until leaves are fully wilted and tender and serve immediately. Serves 2.
Farmer's markets can be a great source when you are eating seasonally but beware- more than once at these things we have found non-farmers selling produce straight from wholesalers with some decidedly non-local stuff. Larger farmer's markets around here a great place to connect with local cheese-makers and organic meat and seafood suppliers too. Mine these markets carefully and keep in touch with the producers- they can alert you to upcoming special items and continue to supply you after the markets have closed for the season.
There were at least 8 produce vendors there but they all had pretty much the same stuff... fresh green and yellow string beans, snow peas, squash, zucchini and more... We got some very nice beets with nice, thick greens, fresh local honey, an enormous lettuce, some spicy white radishes, some yellow squash, the first of the Walla Walla Sweet onions, apricots ($1 a pound!) and Bing Cherries. We also scored 3 lbs. of pickling cucumbers for home-made pickles as well as a mystery vegetable that no one seemed to know how to pronounce and opinions varied as to how to prepare... Pics of that tomorrow and maybe some sort of prize for the first person to identify it.
Inspired by the fresh fruit and vegetables we put together an amazing dinner of pork-roast and fresh greens...
Slow-Cooked Pork Roast with Apricots and Bing Cherries
1 2-3lb Pork shoulder roast
1 lb. of apricots
1/4 cup honey
1/2 lbs. of Bing Cherries
Place the pork-roast fat-side up in a slow-cooker set on High. Pit and quarter Apricots and toss thoroughly with honey. Fill space surrounding roast with apricots. Drizzle remaining honey over roast. Half and pit cherries and cover the meat with cherries. Slow-cook for 3-4 hours or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove roast and slice, serve topped with fruit or with fruit on the side. The pork will be melt-in-your-mouth tender and sweet from the honey and fruit. Ambrosia! Serves 4-6
Sauteed Beet Greens
You paid for those greens; why throw them away? Beet greens have a 'hard' texture that almost demands cooking to soften the leaves. The raw leaves also have a slightly bitter finish that cooking and appropriate spicing diminishes. Under cooking the leaves become tender and generally these greens respond well to somewhat more thorough cooking than spinach.
1/2 lb. Beet Greens
4 Tbs. Olive oil
1 White Radish
1 Tbs. Crushed Garlic
1/2 Tsp. ground black pepper
Sea-salt
Finely dice the white radish and heat with the garlic and olive oil in a 12 inch saucepan over medium-low heat until oil begins to sizzle; this allows the flavors to permeate the oil. Chop Beet Greens into preferred size. Increase heat to medium and add stems to oil and cook until tender then add greens. Add pepper and sea-salt; the salt is important as it helps to cut the greens naturally slightly bitter aftertaste. Toss the greens until thoroughly coated then cook until leaves are fully wilted and tender and serve immediately. Serves 2.
Farmer's markets can be a great source when you are eating seasonally but beware- more than once at these things we have found non-farmers selling produce straight from wholesalers with some decidedly non-local stuff. Larger farmer's markets around here a great place to connect with local cheese-makers and organic meat and seafood suppliers too. Mine these markets carefully and keep in touch with the producers- they can alert you to upcoming special items and continue to supply you after the markets have closed for the season.
"So Tinker- how's that 'Caveman' diet going?"
Now that we've been at this for a bit let's look at the results. In my first post I said that I had already lost eight pounds but we'll not count that so I started this blog at 300lbs and 49 years old. I have since turned 50 years old and am down to 'around' 290 lbs (no reliable scale available ATM.) With my waist being measured across the belly-button and fully relaxed it measured an appalling 57 inches in late May. Yesterday it measured 52 inches so in 38 days of 'Primal Dieting' I have lost ten pounds and 5 inches off of my waist. Color me a happy camper.
Mind you- this is with only a microscopic increase in my levels of exercise and without ever going hungry; in fact I have felt like I was stuffing myself with good food. But there have been other less quantifiable benefits as well. We feel better, we have more energy and are taking fewer naps. We no longer have sugar-drops or 'afternoon doldrums.' I have fewer attacks of depression (I suffer from clinical depression related to PTSD) and am sleeping better. We used to suffer from upset stomachs frequently; we'd go through a large bottle of 'Extra-Strength' Tums at least every month. The bottle that we bought in early June is virtually untouched. Clothes that I haven't been able to wear in a year now fit. We usually eat two meals a day now- breakfast and dinner- with a snack of fruit and/or vegetables in the mid-to-late afternoon instead of a large lunch at midday.
So the Primal Diet seems to be working despite our best efforts to the contrary... I have to tattle on us a bit; we have been less faithful to our diet than we might be. We've been cheating on the diet about once a week to the tune of a couple doughnuts each or a candy-bar or two. Hey, we're only human... Last week we wound up getting hung-up with friends and got too hungry to wait for dinner so we went to McDonalds on the way home. After weeks of wholesome foods the results were quickly evident... the next morning I had diarrhea and was unusually hungry. I'm not a medical professional but there was a pretty direct causal link there.
Contrary to our expectations our grocery bill has not increased a great deal. We are still buying a lot of 'Big Agriculture' supermarket produce and meats but we are always on the look-out for local and natural outlets to replace these products. The transition is ongoing...
At this point I am quite happy with our progress and the results. Ook Ook!
Mind you- this is with only a microscopic increase in my levels of exercise and without ever going hungry; in fact I have felt like I was stuffing myself with good food. But there have been other less quantifiable benefits as well. We feel better, we have more energy and are taking fewer naps. We no longer have sugar-drops or 'afternoon doldrums.' I have fewer attacks of depression (I suffer from clinical depression related to PTSD) and am sleeping better. We used to suffer from upset stomachs frequently; we'd go through a large bottle of 'Extra-Strength' Tums at least every month. The bottle that we bought in early June is virtually untouched. Clothes that I haven't been able to wear in a year now fit. We usually eat two meals a day now- breakfast and dinner- with a snack of fruit and/or vegetables in the mid-to-late afternoon instead of a large lunch at midday.
So the Primal Diet seems to be working despite our best efforts to the contrary... I have to tattle on us a bit; we have been less faithful to our diet than we might be. We've been cheating on the diet about once a week to the tune of a couple doughnuts each or a candy-bar or two. Hey, we're only human... Last week we wound up getting hung-up with friends and got too hungry to wait for dinner so we went to McDonalds on the way home. After weeks of wholesome foods the results were quickly evident... the next morning I had diarrhea and was unusually hungry. I'm not a medical professional but there was a pretty direct causal link there.
Contrary to our expectations our grocery bill has not increased a great deal. We are still buying a lot of 'Big Agriculture' supermarket produce and meats but we are always on the look-out for local and natural outlets to replace these products. The transition is ongoing...
At this point I am quite happy with our progress and the results. Ook Ook!
Friday, June 29, 2012
When you are scrambling for dinner...
Steak and Cheddar Scramble with Onions, Yam and Spinach
1 Medium-sized Yam
1 medium-sized Yellow Onion
1 small lean steak (approximately the size of your palm if you are normal-sized)
1/2 cup shredded natural cheddar
1/2 Tbs. of crushed garlic
2 cups of Spinach (or your favorite greens)
Black Pepper
2 Tbs. lard or oil
3-5 leaves of fresh basil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Slice yam into quarters lengthwise then cut quarters into slices approx. 1/4 inch thick. Cut onion into pieces no more than 3/4 inch square. Heat lard or oil and garlic in a non-stick pan over medium heat, then add onions and yam. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and yam is tender. While this is cooking cut steak into thin slices (again approx. 1/4 inch.) When yam and onion is ready add steak. When steak is browned add spinach, herbs and shredded cheddar. Pepper liberally. As soon as spinach begins to wilt toss with other ingredients until cheese is fully melted and serve immediately with assorted fresh fruit on the side. Serves 2.
Technically this is not 'paleo' because of the cheddar; hardcore cavemen don't eat dairy but we do. Partly because we love it and have a source for natural cheeses and partly because the line between ancient hunter/gatherers following herd animals and herding animals seems to be getting a bit blurry... so we've chosen to err on the side of our personal preferences. In our defense it is working; we feel great and are slowly losing weight but you may find that this does not work for you. You can omit the cheddar from this recipe and it still works if that is your preference.
On a side note local strawberries, raspberries and huckleberries are ripe now. Whoo-
Hoo!
1 Medium-sized Yam
1 medium-sized Yellow Onion
1 small lean steak (approximately the size of your palm if you are normal-sized)
1/2 cup shredded natural cheddar
1/2 Tbs. of crushed garlic
2 cups of Spinach (or your favorite greens)
Black Pepper
2 Tbs. lard or oil
3-5 leaves of fresh basil
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme.
Slice yam into quarters lengthwise then cut quarters into slices approx. 1/4 inch thick. Cut onion into pieces no more than 3/4 inch square. Heat lard or oil and garlic in a non-stick pan over medium heat, then add onions and yam. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and yam is tender. While this is cooking cut steak into thin slices (again approx. 1/4 inch.) When yam and onion is ready add steak. When steak is browned add spinach, herbs and shredded cheddar. Pepper liberally. As soon as spinach begins to wilt toss with other ingredients until cheese is fully melted and serve immediately with assorted fresh fruit on the side. Serves 2.
Technically this is not 'paleo' because of the cheddar; hardcore cavemen don't eat dairy but we do. Partly because we love it and have a source for natural cheeses and partly because the line between ancient hunter/gatherers following herd animals and herding animals seems to be getting a bit blurry... so we've chosen to err on the side of our personal preferences. In our defense it is working; we feel great and are slowly losing weight but you may find that this does not work for you. You can omit the cheddar from this recipe and it still works if that is your preference.
On a side note local strawberries, raspberries and huckleberries are ripe now. Whoo-
Hoo!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
We're cookin' now!
OK- let's talk about cooking. I am no expert on prehistory but I am pretty sure that Oooog the caveman did not come home from a hard day of hunting and belly up to an electric or gas range to cook whatever game he had taken that day. Nor did he deep-fat fry it. It's likely that given the lack of pots and pans he didn't boil it or make it into soup. Most likely meat was wrapped in leaves or some such and buried in the coals or roasted over a wood fire. If there was a surplus of food some meat or fish might get smoked over a wood fire. I don't know when people started cooking vegetables but when they did they probably roasted them over a wood fire.
Does this mean we need to ditch our modern appliances? Certainly not; the technology has moved on and we are not hunter-gatherers anymore. Well, OK- there's shopping but that doesn't really count though I have seen some pretty predatory shoppers...
Linda and I have found ourselves frying things a lot. It's quick and easy and has become sort of our equivalent of grabbing fast food. It's probably not as bad for us as racing off to McDonalds but there can be such a thing as too much. People got gout, congestive heart failure and other fat-related diseases long before modern processed foods. Not as often but it happened. Sure, without having to fight all the junk (chemicals) our bodies do a lot better processing a certain amount of fat... but how much is a certain amount? How much is too much? The answer is I don't know. I do know that I don't want to find out by having a heart attack. Or getting gout, whatever that is.
We are busy people. We don't always want to spend hours preparing an elaborate meal. Fortunately Modern Technology has provided us with the equivalent of wrapping food in leaves and baking it buried in coals- the slow-cooker (or Crock Pot.) We have a very fancy one made made by Kitchencraft that is made out of laminated exotic alloys and features a separate heating element, temperature control and probably anti-lock brakes and a space-drive but a simple crock pot probably works just about as well and will run you less than $30.
It's brilliant. Throw in a block of meat, your favorite cave-man approved veggies and maybe some herbs and spices, plug it in, set it on 'low' and go about your day. Come evening there is a yummy meal waiting for you. Add a salad and/or fresh fruit on the side and you are ready to eat. You can even use relatively 'poor' chunks of meat because with slow cooking they will be tender and tasty by the time that you get to them.
There are other modern innovations that are useful time-savers too, like ovens. We can bake, broil or roast our food without setting anything on fire. Hopefully anyway. Steaming fish, shellfish and veggies is also a useful thing and is nearly as quick as frying. One bit of modern technology that you should avoid however- the microwave.
Microwave ovens cook by using powerful radio waves to make the molecules in food vibrate so fast that they create waste heat. This is what cooks the food. But those radio waves do other things too. I'm not sure what exactly but it's not good. Years ago there was a university study on the effects of various cooking methods on the the nutrients in broccoli. They found that the worst thing in the world for those nutrients was cooking in a microwave. Broccoli lost 90-98% of it's nutritional value when cooked from raw in the microwave. You might as well eat plaster. While it hasn't been proven to have the same effect on all foods what are the odds? Yes, one of those compromises we might make is to occasionally reheat cooked food or a hot beverage in the microwave... but for God's sake don't cook raw food in it!
Try this for your slow-cooker:
1pork roast (small enough to fit in your slow-cooker)
3-5 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 whole large sweet onion
1 lb. cut or baby carrots
Place the roast fat-side up in the cooker. Cut the onion into eighths and pack around the roast. Cover the roast in a thin coating of the crushed garlic. Add baby carrots, cook on low 6+ hours until a meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees or more. The pork will be sweet, flavorful and fork-tender. Salt to taste and serve with your favorite greens (cooked or in a salad) on the side and fruit for desert. Save the juice to make a soup-stock. Oh yeah.
Here's another super-simple non-fried fire-and-forget main dish- Lemon-Pepper Chicken:
4-5 chicken rear quarters (thigh and drumstick)
3/4 cup of lemon juice
Ground black pepper
Sea salt
Place chicken in un-greased 9x13 glass baking pan. Pour lemon-juice over chicken. Pepper thoroughly, salt lightly. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit and bake uncovered for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand for ten minutes. Drain chicken and serve. The lemon and pepper flavors will permeate the chicken, which will be falling-off-the-bones tender but not dry. Heavenly!
Next time- How Soap Works and maybe a few more recipes.
Does this mean we need to ditch our modern appliances? Certainly not; the technology has moved on and we are not hunter-gatherers anymore. Well, OK- there's shopping but that doesn't really count though I have seen some pretty predatory shoppers...
Linda and I have found ourselves frying things a lot. It's quick and easy and has become sort of our equivalent of grabbing fast food. It's probably not as bad for us as racing off to McDonalds but there can be such a thing as too much. People got gout, congestive heart failure and other fat-related diseases long before modern processed foods. Not as often but it happened. Sure, without having to fight all the junk (chemicals) our bodies do a lot better processing a certain amount of fat... but how much is a certain amount? How much is too much? The answer is I don't know. I do know that I don't want to find out by having a heart attack. Or getting gout, whatever that is.
We are busy people. We don't always want to spend hours preparing an elaborate meal. Fortunately Modern Technology has provided us with the equivalent of wrapping food in leaves and baking it buried in coals- the slow-cooker (or Crock Pot.) We have a very fancy one made made by Kitchencraft that is made out of laminated exotic alloys and features a separate heating element, temperature control and probably anti-lock brakes and a space-drive but a simple crock pot probably works just about as well and will run you less than $30.
It's brilliant. Throw in a block of meat, your favorite cave-man approved veggies and maybe some herbs and spices, plug it in, set it on 'low' and go about your day. Come evening there is a yummy meal waiting for you. Add a salad and/or fresh fruit on the side and you are ready to eat. You can even use relatively 'poor' chunks of meat because with slow cooking they will be tender and tasty by the time that you get to them.
There are other modern innovations that are useful time-savers too, like ovens. We can bake, broil or roast our food without setting anything on fire. Hopefully anyway. Steaming fish, shellfish and veggies is also a useful thing and is nearly as quick as frying. One bit of modern technology that you should avoid however- the microwave.
Microwave ovens cook by using powerful radio waves to make the molecules in food vibrate so fast that they create waste heat. This is what cooks the food. But those radio waves do other things too. I'm not sure what exactly but it's not good. Years ago there was a university study on the effects of various cooking methods on the the nutrients in broccoli. They found that the worst thing in the world for those nutrients was cooking in a microwave. Broccoli lost 90-98% of it's nutritional value when cooked from raw in the microwave. You might as well eat plaster. While it hasn't been proven to have the same effect on all foods what are the odds? Yes, one of those compromises we might make is to occasionally reheat cooked food or a hot beverage in the microwave... but for God's sake don't cook raw food in it!
Try this for your slow-cooker:
1pork roast (small enough to fit in your slow-cooker)
3-5 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 whole large sweet onion
1 lb. cut or baby carrots
Place the roast fat-side up in the cooker. Cut the onion into eighths and pack around the roast. Cover the roast in a thin coating of the crushed garlic. Add baby carrots, cook on low 6+ hours until a meat thermometer shows an internal temperature of 190 degrees or more. The pork will be sweet, flavorful and fork-tender. Salt to taste and serve with your favorite greens (cooked or in a salad) on the side and fruit for desert. Save the juice to make a soup-stock. Oh yeah.
Here's another super-simple non-fried fire-and-forget main dish- Lemon-Pepper Chicken:
4-5 chicken rear quarters (thigh and drumstick)
3/4 cup of lemon juice
Ground black pepper
Sea salt
Place chicken in un-greased 9x13 glass baking pan. Pour lemon-juice over chicken. Pepper thoroughly, salt lightly. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit and bake uncovered for 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to stand for ten minutes. Drain chicken and serve. The lemon and pepper flavors will permeate the chicken, which will be falling-off-the-bones tender but not dry. Heavenly!
Next time- How Soap Works and maybe a few more recipes.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
'Tis the season to 'Go Green...' or rather 'Go Greens'
Some one has pointed out that lately this blog has been more about what we've been eating when we fall off the diet than what we eat normally and it's a fair complaint. So let's talk about what we have been eating on our Primal diet.
First thing is that we have been eating seasonally when possible. We're getting better at this but there is a lot we are still learning. It's 'Juneuary' here in the Pacific Northwest which means a lot of foods aren't available yet. Fruit is not much on the 'local' menu until later in the year. But Leafy greens like spinach, cabbages and lettuce are available early on so we're eating lots of them, both cooked and in salads. If you can afford to buy organic and local- check your farmer's markets! Let's talk about some of the greens we've been enjoying and how we have been eating them.
Green and Red cabbage: Green cabbage makes a good snack- pull off a few leaves and munch. A little sweet, a hint of spice and satisfyingly crunchy; you feel like you are eating 'real' food but it's nutritious with few calories. You can also heat up some oil with crushed garlic and green onions and then stir-fry it and serve with sea-salt and a dash of soy sauce just like Bok-Choy (see below.). It's also good with roast beef; cut the cabbage into eighths and put it in a pan with plenty of onions and garlic with the roast. Cover it and slow cook in the oven. Comes out still a bit crisp and tasty. Needless to say green cabbage can go into a lettuce salad to add a bit of texture.
Red cabbage can work for this too but I like the texture and flavor less; I prefer it sliced thin in a salad for a bit of crunch. It's also good in coleslaw; simply shred 2 parts green cabbage, one part red cabbage, some baby carrots and add a little mayonnaise or olive oil, vinegar and black pepper and you've got s great side-dish or snack food that is quick to prepare, keeps well in the refrigerator and is low calorie but satisfying. Cheap too.
BabyBok-Choy cabbage: A nice change from other cabbages with a unique flavor. The best way that we have found to prepare it is to stir-fry. Heat up some olive oil or lard on medium heat in a saucepan with chopped green onions, garlic and a little bit of sliced ginger and let the oil pick up the flavors. Cut the Bok-Choy's stems off and add them and cook until they just begin to soften, then add the leafy bits and stir-fry until the leaves wilt. At the last minute add a dash of soy-sauce and toss so that the leaves get coated with the flavored oil and spices and serve immediately. Fantastic. This works later in the year with the full-grown Bok-choy too; there is just a lot more stem and less leaf which makes for a longer cooking time.
Spinach: Damn you Popeye! Because of you I never had spinach any way but stewed until I reached adulthood. Stewed spinach is revolting and a cruel thing to do to an innocent leafy green. Not to mention that overcooking can break down some of the nutritional value. And the texture? *Shudder* There are a lot of good things to do with spinach. The first and best thing to do is wash it thoroughly; it grows in sandy soil and tends to bring quite a bit along to keep it company. Last year's E.Choli/spinach problem would not have been a problem if people had simply washed the spinach thoroughly with a dilute solution of soap and water and rinsed it well. Lots of good things to do with spinach in the early season (which it still is here.) Use it as an ingredient in salads- and save the stems; they are excellent lightly steamed. Mix it with fresh herbs and sautee it lightly. Toss it into a scramble with eggs and cheese- do this at the last minute. Use the whole thing except the roots in scrambles; the stems are tasty too.
Lettuce: Like cabbage some varieties show up early in the year. Eat them in salads or wilt them slightly and use them to wrap other ingredients for 'sandwiches' or wraps. Use a crisp lettuce leaf to serve up a finely chopped stri-fry. Leafy varieties can be sauteed lightly to add flavor to other dishes. There's a lot of variety in lettuces and you should experiment and find the ones you like; different lettuces work for different applications.
Asparagus is now becoming available too. I know it's not a 'leafy' green but hey, it's green and they are can be had from local sources now. They can be used much like cabbages; chop and toss in a salad. Steam and serve with butter. Stir-fry, roast or grill and serve plain of with a light dressing. Excellent. Look for asparagus that is relatively thin and not too 'woody' at the base. Store it standing in a bowl of cold water if you will be eating it within a couple of days and don't have a strangely omnivorous cat that will climb up on your counter to eat it.,, don't ask.
Green Onions: Another non-green green but available early in the season. Many varieties show up early at Farmer's Markets. There is the common scallion or 'green onion' in your local market. Chop them fine to flavor a salad. Serve them raw or lightly grilled with beef; a bit of beef with a bit of onion, yum! Chop them up in soup or stews. If you really like them just eat them raw. This early in the year around here Walla-Walla Sweet onions are showing up as 'green' onions. These things are like candy; you can eat a mature WWS onion like an apple. Chop up the green part into salads and use the bulb in salads or for cooking. Great stuff. And of course you can do anything with these onions that you would normally do with onions except they will be sweeter and have less bite.
There is a whole world of fresh greens out there that we haven't even touched yet. Dandelion greens are very much in season (these are best before the plant flowers.) Turnip and carrot greens, kale, collard etc. are all in season and now grown locally and we need to try those yet.
Other early vegetables include things like Baby Carrots. Be warned- most 'baby carrots' in your supermarket aren't baby carrots. They are simply last year's mature carrots that have been cut and tumbled to the size of baby carrots and neatly packaged as 'babies.' This is true even of most 'organic' baby Carrots. Not that there is anything wrong with these- root vegetables keep well and while they are not as tender and tasty as genuine baby carrots they still taste good and have lots of fiber. Local farmers or farmer's markets are your best source for real 'baby carrots.' These are in the now and are great for cooking or as a tasty snack. Caramelize them in butter as a side-dish, eat them instead of potato chips, roast them with meats, whatever.
You can make an excellent honey-mustard dressing for your greens that works well hot on hot or cold greens. Use equal parts Olive Oil and vinegar, a teaspoon of powdered mustard and honey to taste. Sadly I have no recipe for this- I just fiddle with the proportions until I like it.
Speaking of Olive oil and food-y fraud there is bad news about Olive oil- most of it isn't olive oil. Apparently olive-oil fraud (even from large well-known manufacturers) is a booming industry and has been for years. Most commercially available Olive Oils may contain as little as 10% olive oil with the rest being cheap sunflower oil- yes, even the big-name brands. I will be doing some research to find an alternative healthy vegetable oil.
Unfortunately here in the Great pacific North-Wet we don't get early fruits. Cherries are the earliest and they are just becoming locally available now. We are eating a lot of them currently. We eat them as raw fruit but there is a long tradition of cooking with them and we need to try some of that. I know they are good cooked with a pork-roast and there are other recipes for them as well.
There are a lot of other local foods known to the Native Americans hereabouts and I'll be researching those as well as publishing more of our recipe's as time goes on.
First thing is that we have been eating seasonally when possible. We're getting better at this but there is a lot we are still learning. It's 'Juneuary' here in the Pacific Northwest which means a lot of foods aren't available yet. Fruit is not much on the 'local' menu until later in the year. But Leafy greens like spinach, cabbages and lettuce are available early on so we're eating lots of them, both cooked and in salads. If you can afford to buy organic and local- check your farmer's markets! Let's talk about some of the greens we've been enjoying and how we have been eating them.
Green and Red cabbage: Green cabbage makes a good snack- pull off a few leaves and munch. A little sweet, a hint of spice and satisfyingly crunchy; you feel like you are eating 'real' food but it's nutritious with few calories. You can also heat up some oil with crushed garlic and green onions and then stir-fry it and serve with sea-salt and a dash of soy sauce just like Bok-Choy (see below.). It's also good with roast beef; cut the cabbage into eighths and put it in a pan with plenty of onions and garlic with the roast. Cover it and slow cook in the oven. Comes out still a bit crisp and tasty. Needless to say green cabbage can go into a lettuce salad to add a bit of texture.
Red cabbage can work for this too but I like the texture and flavor less; I prefer it sliced thin in a salad for a bit of crunch. It's also good in coleslaw; simply shred 2 parts green cabbage, one part red cabbage, some baby carrots and add a little mayonnaise or olive oil, vinegar and black pepper and you've got s great side-dish or snack food that is quick to prepare, keeps well in the refrigerator and is low calorie but satisfying. Cheap too.
BabyBok-Choy cabbage: A nice change from other cabbages with a unique flavor. The best way that we have found to prepare it is to stir-fry. Heat up some olive oil or lard on medium heat in a saucepan with chopped green onions, garlic and a little bit of sliced ginger and let the oil pick up the flavors. Cut the Bok-Choy's stems off and add them and cook until they just begin to soften, then add the leafy bits and stir-fry until the leaves wilt. At the last minute add a dash of soy-sauce and toss so that the leaves get coated with the flavored oil and spices and serve immediately. Fantastic. This works later in the year with the full-grown Bok-choy too; there is just a lot more stem and less leaf which makes for a longer cooking time.
Spinach: Damn you Popeye! Because of you I never had spinach any way but stewed until I reached adulthood. Stewed spinach is revolting and a cruel thing to do to an innocent leafy green. Not to mention that overcooking can break down some of the nutritional value. And the texture? *Shudder* There are a lot of good things to do with spinach. The first and best thing to do is wash it thoroughly; it grows in sandy soil and tends to bring quite a bit along to keep it company. Last year's E.Choli/spinach problem would not have been a problem if people had simply washed the spinach thoroughly with a dilute solution of soap and water and rinsed it well. Lots of good things to do with spinach in the early season (which it still is here.) Use it as an ingredient in salads- and save the stems; they are excellent lightly steamed. Mix it with fresh herbs and sautee it lightly. Toss it into a scramble with eggs and cheese- do this at the last minute. Use the whole thing except the roots in scrambles; the stems are tasty too.
Lettuce: Like cabbage some varieties show up early in the year. Eat them in salads or wilt them slightly and use them to wrap other ingredients for 'sandwiches' or wraps. Use a crisp lettuce leaf to serve up a finely chopped stri-fry. Leafy varieties can be sauteed lightly to add flavor to other dishes. There's a lot of variety in lettuces and you should experiment and find the ones you like; different lettuces work for different applications.
Asparagus is now becoming available too. I know it's not a 'leafy' green but hey, it's green and they are can be had from local sources now. They can be used much like cabbages; chop and toss in a salad. Steam and serve with butter. Stir-fry, roast or grill and serve plain of with a light dressing. Excellent. Look for asparagus that is relatively thin and not too 'woody' at the base. Store it standing in a bowl of cold water if you will be eating it within a couple of days and don't have a strangely omnivorous cat that will climb up on your counter to eat it.,, don't ask.
Green Onions: Another non-green green but available early in the season. Many varieties show up early at Farmer's Markets. There is the common scallion or 'green onion' in your local market. Chop them fine to flavor a salad. Serve them raw or lightly grilled with beef; a bit of beef with a bit of onion, yum! Chop them up in soup or stews. If you really like them just eat them raw. This early in the year around here Walla-Walla Sweet onions are showing up as 'green' onions. These things are like candy; you can eat a mature WWS onion like an apple. Chop up the green part into salads and use the bulb in salads or for cooking. Great stuff. And of course you can do anything with these onions that you would normally do with onions except they will be sweeter and have less bite.
There is a whole world of fresh greens out there that we haven't even touched yet. Dandelion greens are very much in season (these are best before the plant flowers.) Turnip and carrot greens, kale, collard etc. are all in season and now grown locally and we need to try those yet.
Other early vegetables include things like Baby Carrots. Be warned- most 'baby carrots' in your supermarket aren't baby carrots. They are simply last year's mature carrots that have been cut and tumbled to the size of baby carrots and neatly packaged as 'babies.' This is true even of most 'organic' baby Carrots. Not that there is anything wrong with these- root vegetables keep well and while they are not as tender and tasty as genuine baby carrots they still taste good and have lots of fiber. Local farmers or farmer's markets are your best source for real 'baby carrots.' These are in the now and are great for cooking or as a tasty snack. Caramelize them in butter as a side-dish, eat them instead of potato chips, roast them with meats, whatever.
You can make an excellent honey-mustard dressing for your greens that works well hot on hot or cold greens. Use equal parts Olive Oil and vinegar, a teaspoon of powdered mustard and honey to taste. Sadly I have no recipe for this- I just fiddle with the proportions until I like it.
Speaking of Olive oil and food-y fraud there is bad news about Olive oil- most of it isn't olive oil. Apparently olive-oil fraud (even from large well-known manufacturers) is a booming industry and has been for years. Most commercially available Olive Oils may contain as little as 10% olive oil with the rest being cheap sunflower oil- yes, even the big-name brands. I will be doing some research to find an alternative healthy vegetable oil.
Unfortunately here in the Great pacific North-Wet we don't get early fruits. Cherries are the earliest and they are just becoming locally available now. We are eating a lot of them currently. We eat them as raw fruit but there is a long tradition of cooking with them and we need to try some of that. I know they are good cooked with a pork-roast and there are other recipes for them as well.
There are a lot of other local foods known to the Native Americans hereabouts and I'll be researching those as well as publishing more of our recipe's as time goes on.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
There's Primal... and then there's Primal.
We love to think of good old Mother Nature as our friend. How many times have you heard, "It's good for you! It's Natural?" There is a tendency among Primalists, Naturalists, herbalists and a host of other -ists to equate 'natural' with 'good.' In some cases this is true. Eating more 'naturally' and enjoying better health and happiness is what this blog is all about after all. We should love, respect and preserve Mother Nature... but don't expect her to return the favor. Jackals, mosquitoes, box jellyfish, ebola, poison oak and deadly nightshade are all natural after all. Every so often we forget that Mother Nature has her eye on the big picture and is at best neutral when it comes to our little lives. It's not a good idea to push her.
Recently a friend of mine decided to look Africa in the eye and dare it to kill him. He is maybe the fittest, toughest and smartest person that I have ever met. He was well-equipped and well prepared both physically and mentally to take on Africa on it's toughest terms. It damn near succeeded anyway; Africa is good at killing people. He isn't dead because he was surrounded by good people with access to a lot of resources, he was lucky as hell and because frankly he is freakin' superman. His Doctors say that any normal person in his circumstances would have died. They aren't entirely sure why he didn't die. So now my pal is in a hospital in Texas looking at a long road back to health and he's lucky as hell to be there. God bless you Rain Man and get better soon. Preferably after the urge to kick your ass has passed.
You don't mess with Mother Nature.
My own recent experience with Nature-red-in-tooth-claw and was much less severe and the consequences less lasting. It started innocently enough. Linda and I were walking around Westport and I noticed one of the many deep-sea fishing charters companies along the waterfront. I've never been deep-sea fishing before and rather to my surprise I found that I wanted to. We talked to a few of them about the sorts of fishing trips they do and what they cost (less than expected) and decided that I would go bottom-fishing. Spend a few hours on a boat, do some fishing, have a new experience and come home with lots of nice fresh Rockfish and Cod. What could go wrong? I talked it over with my Dad and he agreed to come along and even pay for the trip as my birthday present. Plans were made and I was very much looking forward to the trip.
So the other day I picked up dad and we made the three-hour drive to Westport, got a hotel, had a nice dinner and turned in. At 4:30 am we got up, dressed, grabbed some breakfast and showed up at the Charter Service's offices only to be told the charter was cancelled. Conditions this morning had turned out to be too rough for bottom fishing- but there were spaces available on the salmon run that was about to leave... we looked at each other. What the hell- we were here, right? Might as well.
I am not sure what part of 'too rough' failed to register with us but the nice lady in the office called the boat and had them wait for us as we grabbed our coolers and scurried across the street to the dock and onto the boat. A quick introduction and safety brief and we were off. Racing through the heavy seas in the pitching boat to our fishing spot was exhilarating. After an hour or so we arrived at our fishing spot, were briefed on the equipment and got our lines in the water. In less than ten minutes I was reeling in a salmon! It was sadly a couple of inches too short to keep but it was a good start. It was in fact the high-point of the day.
For one thing we discovered exactly what constitutes 'too rough' for bottom fishing. Eight to ten foot swells. In an ocean liner or Naval destroyer these are not much. In a thirty-foot fishing boat though... I won't swear that the keel of that boat never saw daylight. At one point I was wedged between the rail and deck-house looking more or less straight down into the trough of a wave. Ouch. After an hour my Dad, who is never seasick was. An hour after that so was I. To add insult to injury the fishing was terrible. In the end Dad felt enough better that he returned to fishing and caught a good-sized salmon but again could not keep it. We were only allowed to catch farm-raised salmon and his was wild so it was thrown back.
By the time we had to put back into port everyone had caught a fish but only two were 'keepers.' It was still worth it despite the seasickness and no fish; I got to spend a couple days with my dad, got to deep sea fish, caught my first salmon. Yeah, I got seasick for the first time- not on my bucket list- but what the heck.
I also got a graphic reminder that while pursing a more natural diet and lifestyle is good Nature is not our friend. Bearing that in mind we need to remember that just because a thing is 'natural' doesn't automatically mean that it is good, or that man and all the products of his civilization are bad.
Speaking of natural and the works of man sunlight is natural and with summer coming on we should discuss that. You need a certain amount to make vitamin D and stay healthy. Getting out and about in the sun also has other benefits- makes us feel happier, it's pretty and all that. But it's one of the many natural things that are only good for you up to a point... Yes, our ancestors lived out in the sun all day long. But sunlight isn't what it used to be. Sunlight has not changed over the years but we have changed sunlight so to speak; more precisely our industrial society has changed the atmosphere so that it doesn't protect us from the sun like it used to. Vitamin D is good. Sunburn and skin cancer are not. As in so many things moderation is the key; get some sun and then get out of the sun, put on a long sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat or whatever. How much sun is enough? That is a very individual thing but if you are in danger of a sunburn you've had enough. Don't use sunscreen unless you cannot avoid being out in the sun longer than you should be. God knows what's in that stuff and what it's doing to you. Yeah, they tested it and it's not going to kill you right away but better safe than sorry.
Speaking of hats they are definitely 'Primal.' Current depictions of 'cave-men' more and more often portray them wearing hats on one sort or another. Hats make sense; your head gets a lot of blood-flow and that tends to transfer heat into or out of your body depending on whether it's hot or cold. Cold? Put on a hat. Hot? Put on a hat. It worked for them in the way-backs and it still works today.
Yesterday was my birthday. 29 again?! Who'd have thought... Predictably the diet went off the rails for the occasion. I had a friend over and we all went out for Pizza. The Rock Woodfired Pizza specifically. With a hand-cut potato-chip appetizer. And a coke. Hey, nobody is perfect. Special occasions are special and I am not going to beat myself up over the occasional lapse... But between GTHDD and my birthday I think we've used up the month's allowance. So I am going to go cook us a nice 'primal' breakfast from natural ingredients and then we need to get our day started.
By the time we had to put back into port everyone had caught a fish but only two were 'keepers.' It was still worth it despite the seasickness and no fish; I got to spend a couple days with my dad, got to deep sea fish, caught my first salmon. Yeah, I got seasick for the first time- not on my bucket list- but what the heck.
I also got a graphic reminder that while pursing a more natural diet and lifestyle is good Nature is not our friend. Bearing that in mind we need to remember that just because a thing is 'natural' doesn't automatically mean that it is good, or that man and all the products of his civilization are bad.
Speaking of natural and the works of man sunlight is natural and with summer coming on we should discuss that. You need a certain amount to make vitamin D and stay healthy. Getting out and about in the sun also has other benefits- makes us feel happier, it's pretty and all that. But it's one of the many natural things that are only good for you up to a point... Yes, our ancestors lived out in the sun all day long. But sunlight isn't what it used to be. Sunlight has not changed over the years but we have changed sunlight so to speak; more precisely our industrial society has changed the atmosphere so that it doesn't protect us from the sun like it used to. Vitamin D is good. Sunburn and skin cancer are not. As in so many things moderation is the key; get some sun and then get out of the sun, put on a long sleeved shirt and a broad-brimmed hat or whatever. How much sun is enough? That is a very individual thing but if you are in danger of a sunburn you've had enough. Don't use sunscreen unless you cannot avoid being out in the sun longer than you should be. God knows what's in that stuff and what it's doing to you. Yeah, they tested it and it's not going to kill you right away but better safe than sorry.
Speaking of hats they are definitely 'Primal.' Current depictions of 'cave-men' more and more often portray them wearing hats on one sort or another. Hats make sense; your head gets a lot of blood-flow and that tends to transfer heat into or out of your body depending on whether it's hot or cold. Cold? Put on a hat. Hot? Put on a hat. It worked for them in the way-backs and it still works today.
Yesterday was my birthday. 29 again?! Who'd have thought... Predictably the diet went off the rails for the occasion. I had a friend over and we all went out for Pizza. The Rock Woodfired Pizza specifically. With a hand-cut potato-chip appetizer. And a coke. Hey, nobody is perfect. Special occasions are special and I am not going to beat myself up over the occasional lapse... But between GTHDD and my birthday I think we've used up the month's allowance. So I am going to go cook us a nice 'primal' breakfast from natural ingredients and then we need to get our day started.
Monday, June 11, 2012
The GTHDD Report...
Our first GTHDD (Go To Hell Diet Day)was last Saturday and despite my best efforts I have survived reasonably intact. This is the day we schedule each month where we can eat whatever we like. This is one of two 'planned' slips in our diet. In addition to the one day a month where we eat 'whatever' we get to split a 20 oz. soda a week. Honestly since we haven't been having sugar cravings or for that matter any cravings at all we forget to have the soda as often as not.
Yesterday dawned much like any other day and we wound up having a breakfast that was actually within the bounds of the 'primal' format- the recipe published the other day in fact. We had planned to have a special dinner though, "Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From." No, I don't mean "die for" because if you ate this very often it would kill you. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post for the suicidal who wish to die smiling.
We spent the morning happily looking forward to the dietary carnage to follow but felt no great urgency about it. Then in the afternoon we went to a friend's store, Longship Traders in Tacoma, for a visit and maybe some light commerce. Longship Traders is an interesting store; they sell everything from knives and swords, Viking era and modern jewelry, reference books (mostly about Vikings,) furs, textiles, sun-dresses, ancient artifacts... if you don't see it ask. I'm not sure that there is much that they might not have tucked away somewhere. They also have a big jar of candy on the counter and that's where everything started to unravel. I idly noted a chocolate kiss in the jar and it being GTHDD I promptly snagged it. Then another... and maybe just one more... Then Papa Thor brought out the Belgian Dark Chocolate with raspberry and some other treats. I was grazing on chocolate all afternoon.
We went home and I made the mac and cheese. No doubt there are ways of making Mac and Cheese that are healthier than others. This isn't one of those. So I made the Mac and Cheese and we stuffed ourselves on it and it was good. Really good. I almost expected to feel sick from all the junk and the macaroni but I didn't really. This just tells me that even though eons of evolution may not have made us adept at digesting processed sugar and chemicals a lifetime of doing so had left me well suited to getting fat. The next morning I was starving which tells me where the roughly 10 trillion calories from dinner had gone- straight into fat. There was leftover in the morning naturally and having neglected the shopping and being unable to afford to waste food we ate it for breakfast and went about our day. That was when we learned some interesting things.
I've mentioned that normally we skip lunch because we aren't hungry. Yesterday despite a breakfast that included at least as many calories as we usually have we were hungry long before dinner-time or even our usual snack time. Really hungry. All those calories from the starch in the Macaroni burnt up or got turned into fat instead of carrying us through the day. We also experienced the afternoon let-down of a mild sugar-drop for the first time in a long time. It's a pretty small sample-size to base any conclusions on but it seems that 'fat food' makes you feel like you need to eat more in a vicious circle. No wonder we Americans are getting fat... Despite having a good, solid 'paleo' dinner last night I am starving this morning too. Interesting.
So in July our GTHDD will probably be centered on Independence Day but we will make sure to have a proper breakfast the next morning. I also am likely to modify the concept of GTHDD to be planned slips like the Macaroni and Cheese as opposed to unplanned ones like a 1/2 pound of assorted chocolate or other random dietary abominations.
For you folks determined to be good little hunter-gatherers skip the recipe below. While not the worst food by any means it's not good; it has a ton of starch from wheat and corn starch( in the cheese mix to keep it from clumping) and way, way more fat than is good for you. It really, really isn't 'primal' and should at most be an occasional treat when you are deliberately, consciously departing from your normal, healthy plains-running-ape ways. Make sure you corrupt enough friends to insure you don't have leftovers too.
Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From
Source: I made it up based on an idea that I heard on NPR
Serves: 6
1 ea. 9x9 deep glass baking pan
1 Cube of Butter
12 oz.+ shredded Mexican cheese blend*
4 tbs of grated Parmesian cheese
1 pint of heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp crushed, minced or powdered garlic
Approx. 8 oz. of dry Large Elbow Macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cook Pasta 'al dente' per instructions on package. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine Heavy whipping cream, butter and garlic. After butter melts entirely begin to add shredded cheese and stir with a fork. Allow the cheese to become completely melted. Do NOT allow to boil!! The cheese will burn, the cream will scorch and you might as well toss it and start over. Be sure to leave enough shredded cheese to sprinkle over the Mac and cheese- a decent handful or so. Place the macaroni in the baking pan. You do NOT need to grease the pan. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir in thorougly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and parmesian over the top to cover completely. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a nice crust of cheese covers the dish. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sea-salt to taste. Consume rapidly in a frenzy of guilt and lust while grinning sheepishly at your dinner companions between bites.
*You can also use cheddar- this is especially wonderful with sharp cheddar! Other cheeses work as well but blends that are at least 1/2 cheddar seem to work best.
More things that you actually should eat as well as useful hints, tips and ideas to come.
Yesterday dawned much like any other day and we wound up having a breakfast that was actually within the bounds of the 'primal' format- the recipe published the other day in fact. We had planned to have a special dinner though, "Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From." No, I don't mean "die for" because if you ate this very often it would kill you. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post for the suicidal who wish to die smiling.
We spent the morning happily looking forward to the dietary carnage to follow but felt no great urgency about it. Then in the afternoon we went to a friend's store, Longship Traders in Tacoma, for a visit and maybe some light commerce. Longship Traders is an interesting store; they sell everything from knives and swords, Viking era and modern jewelry, reference books (mostly about Vikings,) furs, textiles, sun-dresses, ancient artifacts... if you don't see it ask. I'm not sure that there is much that they might not have tucked away somewhere. They also have a big jar of candy on the counter and that's where everything started to unravel. I idly noted a chocolate kiss in the jar and it being GTHDD I promptly snagged it. Then another... and maybe just one more... Then Papa Thor brought out the Belgian Dark Chocolate with raspberry and some other treats. I was grazing on chocolate all afternoon.
We went home and I made the mac and cheese. No doubt there are ways of making Mac and Cheese that are healthier than others. This isn't one of those. So I made the Mac and Cheese and we stuffed ourselves on it and it was good. Really good. I almost expected to feel sick from all the junk and the macaroni but I didn't really. This just tells me that even though eons of evolution may not have made us adept at digesting processed sugar and chemicals a lifetime of doing so had left me well suited to getting fat. The next morning I was starving which tells me where the roughly 10 trillion calories from dinner had gone- straight into fat. There was leftover in the morning naturally and having neglected the shopping and being unable to afford to waste food we ate it for breakfast and went about our day. That was when we learned some interesting things.
I've mentioned that normally we skip lunch because we aren't hungry. Yesterday despite a breakfast that included at least as many calories as we usually have we were hungry long before dinner-time or even our usual snack time. Really hungry. All those calories from the starch in the Macaroni burnt up or got turned into fat instead of carrying us through the day. We also experienced the afternoon let-down of a mild sugar-drop for the first time in a long time. It's a pretty small sample-size to base any conclusions on but it seems that 'fat food' makes you feel like you need to eat more in a vicious circle. No wonder we Americans are getting fat... Despite having a good, solid 'paleo' dinner last night I am starving this morning too. Interesting.
So in July our GTHDD will probably be centered on Independence Day but we will make sure to have a proper breakfast the next morning. I also am likely to modify the concept of GTHDD to be planned slips like the Macaroni and Cheese as opposed to unplanned ones like a 1/2 pound of assorted chocolate or other random dietary abominations.
For you folks determined to be good little hunter-gatherers skip the recipe below. While not the worst food by any means it's not good; it has a ton of starch from wheat and corn starch( in the cheese mix to keep it from clumping) and way, way more fat than is good for you. It really, really isn't 'primal' and should at most be an occasional treat when you are deliberately, consciously departing from your normal, healthy plains-running-ape ways. Make sure you corrupt enough friends to insure you don't have leftovers too.
Tinker's Macaroni and Cheese to Die From
Source: I made it up based on an idea that I heard on NPR
Serves: 6
1 ea. 9x9 deep glass baking pan
1 Cube of Butter
12 oz.+ shredded Mexican cheese blend*
4 tbs of grated Parmesian cheese
1 pint of heavy Whipping Cream
1 tsp crushed, minced or powdered garlic
Approx. 8 oz. of dry Large Elbow Macaroni
Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Cook Pasta 'al dente' per instructions on package. Drain and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine Heavy whipping cream, butter and garlic. After butter melts entirely begin to add shredded cheese and stir with a fork. Allow the cheese to become completely melted. Do NOT allow to boil!! The cheese will burn, the cream will scorch and you might as well toss it and start over. Be sure to leave enough shredded cheese to sprinkle over the Mac and cheese- a decent handful or so. Place the macaroni in the baking pan. You do NOT need to grease the pan. Pour the cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir in thorougly. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese and parmesian over the top to cover completely. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a nice crust of cheese covers the dish. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Sea-salt to taste. Consume rapidly in a frenzy of guilt and lust while grinning sheepishly at your dinner companions between bites.
*You can also use cheddar- this is especially wonderful with sharp cheddar! Other cheeses work as well but blends that are at least 1/2 cheddar seem to work best.
More things that you actually should eat as well as useful hints, tips and ideas to come.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Oh how we suffer; forced to eat delicious food, lose weight and feel better (lays arm across forehead and looks faint.) Well... we shall endeavor to persevere. Here's something that we cooked up today.
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Source: Original recipe
Serves: 2-3
This can be served as a main course or as a side-dish. If served as a side-dish double the number served.
Approx. 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 small yam (1-1/2" x 8 inches)
2-3 oz. cubed Goat Cheese*
1 tbs. Crushed or minced garlic
2 tbs. Lard or olive oil
Sea salt to taste when served
*We use cheese that a friend makes that is like a cross between feta and fresh mozzarella in flavor and texture but crumbled feta works well also. You want to use a cheese that isn't too 'melty.'
Preheat 12 inch saucepan with lard or oil over medium heat. Split yam lengthwise and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick or less. Cut off woody bases of asparagus and discard then cut asparagus into halves or thirds. Slice onion in half and then section into 6-8 sections and separate layers.
Place onion and yam into pre-heated pan and distribute in one layer (or as near as possible.) Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then stir and redistribute into a single layer. Stack asparagus on top of onion and yam and cover. Cook 5 minutes, remove cover and stir ingredients. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook uncovered until desired texture/brownness is reached. Remove from heat and pour mixture into serving bowl being careful not to include too much excess oil. Toss in cubes of Goat Cheese and serve immediately. Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
For a different flavor use six chopped strips of cooked bacon along with or in place of the Goat Cheese.
Hot Asparagus, Yam, Goat Cheese and Onion salad
Source: Original recipe
Serves: 2-3
This can be served as a main course or as a side-dish. If served as a side-dish double the number served.
Approx. 1/2 lb. fresh asparagus
1 yellow onion
1 small yam (1-1/2" x 8 inches)
2-3 oz. cubed Goat Cheese*
1 tbs. Crushed or minced garlic
2 tbs. Lard or olive oil
Sea salt to taste when served
*We use cheese that a friend makes that is like a cross between feta and fresh mozzarella in flavor and texture but crumbled feta works well also. You want to use a cheese that isn't too 'melty.'
Preheat 12 inch saucepan with lard or oil over medium heat. Split yam lengthwise and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick or less. Cut off woody bases of asparagus and discard then cut asparagus into halves or thirds. Slice onion in half and then section into 6-8 sections and separate layers.
Place onion and yam into pre-heated pan and distribute in one layer (or as near as possible.) Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes then stir and redistribute into a single layer. Stack asparagus on top of onion and yam and cover. Cook 5 minutes, remove cover and stir ingredients. Cover and cook 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook uncovered until desired texture/brownness is reached. Remove from heat and pour mixture into serving bowl being careful not to include too much excess oil. Toss in cubes of Goat Cheese and serve immediately. Sea salt and black pepper to taste.
For a different flavor use six chopped strips of cooked bacon along with or in place of the Goat Cheese.
Down on the farm...
So, our friend the micro-farmer was called out of town this week and needed some one to mind things for a few days while she was away. "Take care of and milk the goats, water, keep an eye on stuff... How hard could it be?" wondered Linda and proceeded to volunteer to find out. And she did.
It's hard.
The Schedule:
7:00 am. Add the final ingredient to the 'goat chow'
7:30 am- Feed chickens, dog and cats. Haul the bucket of 'Goat chow' out to the goats and put some in a pan on the milking stand. Get each goat, get them on the stand and milk them. After each is done they are put back in their individual pens with the rest of their morning feed. Fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. Open the door to the paddock and let the goats out. Clean the pens and sweep the barn. Then shut the doors and go get breakfast and make more goat chow, strain the milk and refrigerate it.
4pm. Bring the goats into the barn. Separate the babies from the moms and let the moms out to graze and make milk. Feed chickens, dogs and cats. put down fresh bedding in the goat pens and a little hay for them to gnosh on through the night.
6 pm Let the goats in and milk them again, one at a time and in order. This is a longer milking so they need more feed to keep their interest. Put goats in their pens for evening feeding. Let the babies in with their moms. Then back to the house to the house make dinner, make more goat chow and strain the milk.
There, that's not so bad, right? In theory anyway...
Here's what really happens.
It started out OK. Linda added the final ingredient to the goat chow and had a cup of coffee. Then time to feed the chickens. This turned out to be pretty easy as by then they were waiting at the door. Pooping on the stoop. Charming. Then she had to grab the bucket of goat chow to take to the barn. This is a five gallon bucket of water, grain and beet pulp plus the supplement. If you've never carried one of these here's a clue: it's bloody heavy. Particularly for a modest-sized 50 year old desk jockey. OK, it's only about 30 yards to the barn, it's strenuous but doable.
Next it's time to put the goats in the milking stand. On the stand there is a shelf for a pan of goat chow to encourage the goat to stand still while you milk it. Easy peasy. The correct goat was brought out of it's pen and onto the milking stand. Of course until it's head was buckled into the harness and it's nose was actually buried in the chow it viewed this event with deep suspicion. Pretty much each one had to be dragged onto the platform by main force while it tried desperately to get at the chow without going to the extreme of actually getting on the milking stand. Did I mention some of them have horns? And that they are not afraid to use them? Then at last the milking commenced.
There is a knack to milking goats. There is special knack to milking a goat that does not want to be milked. Few goats in fact appear to actually want to be milked. Escape-artist baby goats only add spice to the occasion. After she finished she had to unbuckle each goat, convince it to get in it's pen and give it the rest of it's breakfast. Repeat entire circus five times, once for each momma goat.
Time to fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. This means taking another five-gallon bucket, filling it at one of the rain cachement barrels and hauling it to each pen and the paddock. Note that a five gallon bucket of water is quite heavy and, this being Juneuary in the Pacific North Wet, it's muddy. So the water buckets may be heavy but at least the footing is tricky.
Then it's time to let the goats out into the paddock. Only now it's five mommas and six babies all at once. Each and every momma goat is absolutely convinced that there is more goat chow hidden in the barn if they can only find it and of course each baby goat wishes to be with it's momma... or maybe that one's mamma. Or to find out what is up there... All eleven of the contrary creatures want to do something, anything, other than going out the door. But eventually she managed it.
After all of that cleaning goat poop and urine-soaked straw out of the pens and sweeping the barn seems like a spa-day. Then it's back to the house to make breakfast and the evening's goat-chow and to strain the milk- which thank God is actually only slightly trickier than it sounds.
Now to rest and recuperate for the evening. Except for trips to find the wayward dog, water the vegetables, find out why that baby goat is yelling at the top of it's lungs, try to figure out how the hell that goat got in there, get it out and figure out how to keep it out, try to work on the website, collect the eggs from the chickens... Crap! Time for afternoon chores already?
Time to get the baby goats separated from their moms. Baby goats as a rule don't want to be separated from their moms and they can run fast and can jump improbably high obstacles. So she had to chase them down one by one and pen them. Which she accomplished eventually. Time for the momma goats to graze in peace and make milk. After an hour or so feed the chickens, dogs and cats.
Time flies until evening chores. This is much like morning chores. Only worse.
First thing is to let the mommas into the barn. The goats know that this means they will get their chow. The problem is that ALL the goats want that chow. At once. They signify this desire crowding into the doorway en-masse, by leaping in the air, scrambling over each other and doing absolutely anything in their power to reach the goat chow. Naturally the babies have a vested interest in that milk and as far as they're concerned that udder has been away too long already and they try desperately to join their mommas. Herding excited, determined goats in a confined space turns out to be a lot like herding cats. Finally she managed to get all but the correct goat to stay outside and wait until it's their turn and all the babies back in their pens while she milked. Repeat four more times. Finish penning and feeding the goats, haul the bucket back to make dinner, more goat chow, strain the milk...
At least it was only for four days.
Our friend the farmer would add to this making cheese, repairing fences, mending gates, weeding and the thousand and one other tasks that need to be done around the place... on top of running her own business... the one that actually pays the bills.
Worship your local farmer. They deserve it. They really do.
PS- Today's weigh-in: 294Lbs. Honestly I have been stuffing myself shamelessly on all this primal food. I was concerned that I had not lost weight and might even have gained some. Instead I have lost six pounds! Whoo-Hoo!
It's hard.
The Schedule:
7:00 am. Add the final ingredient to the 'goat chow'
7:30 am- Feed chickens, dog and cats. Haul the bucket of 'Goat chow' out to the goats and put some in a pan on the milking stand. Get each goat, get them on the stand and milk them. After each is done they are put back in their individual pens with the rest of their morning feed. Fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. Open the door to the paddock and let the goats out. Clean the pens and sweep the barn. Then shut the doors and go get breakfast and make more goat chow, strain the milk and refrigerate it.
4pm. Bring the goats into the barn. Separate the babies from the moms and let the moms out to graze and make milk. Feed chickens, dogs and cats. put down fresh bedding in the goat pens and a little hay for them to gnosh on through the night.
6 pm Let the goats in and milk them again, one at a time and in order. This is a longer milking so they need more feed to keep their interest. Put goats in their pens for evening feeding. Let the babies in with their moms. Then back to the house to the house make dinner, make more goat chow and strain the milk.
There, that's not so bad, right? In theory anyway...
Here's what really happens.
It started out OK. Linda added the final ingredient to the goat chow and had a cup of coffee. Then time to feed the chickens. This turned out to be pretty easy as by then they were waiting at the door. Pooping on the stoop. Charming. Then she had to grab the bucket of goat chow to take to the barn. This is a five gallon bucket of water, grain and beet pulp plus the supplement. If you've never carried one of these here's a clue: it's bloody heavy. Particularly for a modest-sized 50 year old desk jockey. OK, it's only about 30 yards to the barn, it's strenuous but doable.
Next it's time to put the goats in the milking stand. On the stand there is a shelf for a pan of goat chow to encourage the goat to stand still while you milk it. Easy peasy. The correct goat was brought out of it's pen and onto the milking stand. Of course until it's head was buckled into the harness and it's nose was actually buried in the chow it viewed this event with deep suspicion. Pretty much each one had to be dragged onto the platform by main force while it tried desperately to get at the chow without going to the extreme of actually getting on the milking stand. Did I mention some of them have horns? And that they are not afraid to use them? Then at last the milking commenced.
There is a knack to milking goats. There is special knack to milking a goat that does not want to be milked. Few goats in fact appear to actually want to be milked. Escape-artist baby goats only add spice to the occasion. After she finished she had to unbuckle each goat, convince it to get in it's pen and give it the rest of it's breakfast. Repeat entire circus five times, once for each momma goat.
Time to fill the water pans in the pens and paddock. This means taking another five-gallon bucket, filling it at one of the rain cachement barrels and hauling it to each pen and the paddock. Note that a five gallon bucket of water is quite heavy and, this being Juneuary in the Pacific North Wet, it's muddy. So the water buckets may be heavy but at least the footing is tricky.
Then it's time to let the goats out into the paddock. Only now it's five mommas and six babies all at once. Each and every momma goat is absolutely convinced that there is more goat chow hidden in the barn if they can only find it and of course each baby goat wishes to be with it's momma... or maybe that one's mamma. Or to find out what is up there... All eleven of the contrary creatures want to do something, anything, other than going out the door. But eventually she managed it.
After all of that cleaning goat poop and urine-soaked straw out of the pens and sweeping the barn seems like a spa-day. Then it's back to the house to make breakfast and the evening's goat-chow and to strain the milk- which thank God is actually only slightly trickier than it sounds.
Now to rest and recuperate for the evening. Except for trips to find the wayward dog, water the vegetables, find out why that baby goat is yelling at the top of it's lungs, try to figure out how the hell that goat got in there, get it out and figure out how to keep it out, try to work on the website, collect the eggs from the chickens... Crap! Time for afternoon chores already?
Time to get the baby goats separated from their moms. Baby goats as a rule don't want to be separated from their moms and they can run fast and can jump improbably high obstacles. So she had to chase them down one by one and pen them. Which she accomplished eventually. Time for the momma goats to graze in peace and make milk. After an hour or so feed the chickens, dogs and cats.
Time flies until evening chores. This is much like morning chores. Only worse.
First thing is to let the mommas into the barn. The goats know that this means they will get their chow. The problem is that ALL the goats want that chow. At once. They signify this desire crowding into the doorway en-masse, by leaping in the air, scrambling over each other and doing absolutely anything in their power to reach the goat chow. Naturally the babies have a vested interest in that milk and as far as they're concerned that udder has been away too long already and they try desperately to join their mommas. Herding excited, determined goats in a confined space turns out to be a lot like herding cats. Finally she managed to get all but the correct goat to stay outside and wait until it's their turn and all the babies back in their pens while she milked. Repeat four more times. Finish penning and feeding the goats, haul the bucket back to make dinner, more goat chow, strain the milk...
At least it was only for four days.
Our friend the farmer would add to this making cheese, repairing fences, mending gates, weeding and the thousand and one other tasks that need to be done around the place... on top of running her own business... the one that actually pays the bills.
Worship your local farmer. They deserve it. They really do.
PS- Today's weigh-in: 294Lbs. Honestly I have been stuffing myself shamelessly on all this primal food. I was concerned that I had not lost weight and might even have gained some. Instead I have lost six pounds! Whoo-Hoo!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
No Grain, No Gain?
So... based on my own knowledge of paleolithic hunter-gatherers and neolithic agriculture the original plan was for us to include some unprocessed natural whole grains in our diet at the end of summer and into fall. These would be 'ancient' grains lacking gluten etc. Then Linda wrote to one of the 'paleo-diet gurus' that we think well of and asked about this. He told her that our HG ancestors didn't harvest significant amounts of grain so don't do it. Based on that I decided that I had better do a little research and to keep an open mind about whether or not to include grains in our diet. So I did. This is what I discovered-
I need to do more research. First off the latest findings from Gobekle Tepe, possibly the oldest known neolithic civilization dating to 12,000 years ago, is that there is evidence of bread and beer making. They are very carefully not yet saying that these people cultivated wheat but it looks likely to me based on their findings so far. Google it- it's fascinating stuff! Evidence is that this was a mature culture- they did not randomly pull their artistic conventions, rituals, building methods etc. out of nowhere; the culture that created Gobekle Tepe could be 15,000 years old or even older.., Ok that is just speculation but it's not unreasonable speculation.
Recent evidence suggests preparation and consumption of grain 20-30 thousand years ago and perhaps as long as 200 thousand years ago. If our paleo peeps did do this though they did it in season... late summer or fall. We'll tentatively stick to that plan for now but keep an open mind and do... you guessed it, more research. Which we will naturally share with you.
Whether or not to 'let them eat cake' so to speak is only one of many controversies surrounding primal or paleo diets and of course we are looking carefully at these arguments. Grain or no grain, lean versus fat, salt or no salt... you would think that something called 'Primal' would be simpler! The thing is not all of our paleolithic ancestors ate the same things. In the far North they either herded animals or simply followed the herds and hunted them- there is some controversy over which. These ice-age folks had very, very short summers and even then 'summer' was a relative term. Their diet seems to have run heavily to meat and fat. On the other hand people in tropical and sub-tropical regions seem to have eaten a lot more fruits, vegetables, tubers and even perhaps grain with only modest amounts of meat. Cultures in-between were... well, in-between in their meat-to-vegetable ratios. So it's likely that there is no single right way to do it and some of it may depend on your ethnic background. Or not.
My ancestors have been in the melting pot for a long time so I am very much a 'mutt' genetically. I am finding that 30-40% protein/ 60-70% vegetable ratio is working for me. Linda is ethnically mostly British and her mix is closer to 50/50 and that seems to be working for her... but it's early days so we'll see how that works out in the long run.
The point is you are likely to have to fiddle a bit to find exactly what works for you. The one thing that everyone seems to more or less agree on is that fewer carbs is better for weight loss but there isn't even a 100% consensus on that as long as the carbs are 'primally sourced.'
Our Primal diet, like life itself, remains a 'Work in Progress.' We'll keep you updated!
I need to do more research. First off the latest findings from Gobekle Tepe, possibly the oldest known neolithic civilization dating to 12,000 years ago, is that there is evidence of bread and beer making. They are very carefully not yet saying that these people cultivated wheat but it looks likely to me based on their findings so far. Google it- it's fascinating stuff! Evidence is that this was a mature culture- they did not randomly pull their artistic conventions, rituals, building methods etc. out of nowhere; the culture that created Gobekle Tepe could be 15,000 years old or even older.., Ok that is just speculation but it's not unreasonable speculation.
Recent evidence suggests preparation and consumption of grain 20-30 thousand years ago and perhaps as long as 200 thousand years ago. If our paleo peeps did do this though they did it in season... late summer or fall. We'll tentatively stick to that plan for now but keep an open mind and do... you guessed it, more research. Which we will naturally share with you.
Whether or not to 'let them eat cake' so to speak is only one of many controversies surrounding primal or paleo diets and of course we are looking carefully at these arguments. Grain or no grain, lean versus fat, salt or no salt... you would think that something called 'Primal' would be simpler! The thing is not all of our paleolithic ancestors ate the same things. In the far North they either herded animals or simply followed the herds and hunted them- there is some controversy over which. These ice-age folks had very, very short summers and even then 'summer' was a relative term. Their diet seems to have run heavily to meat and fat. On the other hand people in tropical and sub-tropical regions seem to have eaten a lot more fruits, vegetables, tubers and even perhaps grain with only modest amounts of meat. Cultures in-between were... well, in-between in their meat-to-vegetable ratios. So it's likely that there is no single right way to do it and some of it may depend on your ethnic background. Or not.
My ancestors have been in the melting pot for a long time so I am very much a 'mutt' genetically. I am finding that 30-40% protein/ 60-70% vegetable ratio is working for me. Linda is ethnically mostly British and her mix is closer to 50/50 and that seems to be working for her... but it's early days so we'll see how that works out in the long run.
The point is you are likely to have to fiddle a bit to find exactly what works for you. The one thing that everyone seems to more or less agree on is that fewer carbs is better for weight loss but there isn't even a 100% consensus on that as long as the carbs are 'primally sourced.'
Our Primal diet, like life itself, remains a 'Work in Progress.' We'll keep you updated!
Lard... It's What's for Dinner!
Well... not just lard. The assumption of Paleolithic diets is that less processed is better. That the fats we eat and cook with should be as simple as possible. Rendered animal fat (lard) is about as simple as it gets. Getting relatively pure, unprocessed lard can be kind of a pain though. It's really not the sort of thing the 'main-stream'health food industry is hip to. So if you want 'good' lard you are pretty much going to have to make it yourself. Fortunately for me this isn't rocket-science.
When you buy natural, untrimmed meats you get a lot of fat. Rather than simply scarfing it down the massive quantities of fat associated with pork etc. trim it mostly off before cooking and set it aside. When you have accumulated a couple cups of fat or more you can render it into Lard. This process is easy and simple. Thank God.
Cut he fat into cubes around a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch square. Put the cubed fat in a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and put it on the stove at medium heat. For the first hour or so stir every ten minutes and add water as needed. After the fat has shrunken and begun to shrivel significantly you'll need to stir more often and stop adding water. When the fat is fully shriveled and just beginning to brown take the pan off the heat and remove the remaining solids. After allowing the remaining liquid to cool somewhat but not solidify (15-30 minutes at room temperature) pour the liquid into a mason jar. and refrigerate. Voila! Lard. We found that the fat from two untrimmed pork chops yields about 1 pint of lard. Use this in place of oil when stir-frying or sauteing. This can be done with fat from any mammal, but pork fat is easiest to obtain and seems to be the 'densest.'
We have found that as long as you don't overheat and burn the fat when used in moderation it does not lend any unpleasant taste to food nor does it tend to make food taste 'greasy.' Mind you it's probably best to have more than one kind of oil and to use different oils for cooking different things. We most often use Olive Oil as our 'Second Standard' oil and Linda prefers butter for fried eggs.
The key here is moderation. Yes, our bodies can handle a certain amount of fat. In what seems to be contrary to the evolutionary theory underlying Paleo diets people of differing ethnicities can often handle more or less fat than 'average,' whatever that is. Err on the side of caution and if there is any doubt or you have a fat-averse medical condition consult your doctor. Seriously. As I said we plan on having tests done periodically to make sure that we aren't killing ourselves.
Something to consider- our pre-agricultural paleolithic ancestors probably roasted things a lot more than they fried them. Probably best to emulate that; that would agree with both conventional medical wisdom and paleo-diet theory.
So- enjoy your lard... but don't go crazy.
When you buy natural, untrimmed meats you get a lot of fat. Rather than simply scarfing it down the massive quantities of fat associated with pork etc. trim it mostly off before cooking and set it aside. When you have accumulated a couple cups of fat or more you can render it into Lard. This process is easy and simple. Thank God.
Cut he fat into cubes around a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch square. Put the cubed fat in a pan with a 1/2 cup of water and put it on the stove at medium heat. For the first hour or so stir every ten minutes and add water as needed. After the fat has shrunken and begun to shrivel significantly you'll need to stir more often and stop adding water. When the fat is fully shriveled and just beginning to brown take the pan off the heat and remove the remaining solids. After allowing the remaining liquid to cool somewhat but not solidify (15-30 minutes at room temperature) pour the liquid into a mason jar. and refrigerate. Voila! Lard. We found that the fat from two untrimmed pork chops yields about 1 pint of lard. Use this in place of oil when stir-frying or sauteing. This can be done with fat from any mammal, but pork fat is easiest to obtain and seems to be the 'densest.'
We have found that as long as you don't overheat and burn the fat when used in moderation it does not lend any unpleasant taste to food nor does it tend to make food taste 'greasy.' Mind you it's probably best to have more than one kind of oil and to use different oils for cooking different things. We most often use Olive Oil as our 'Second Standard' oil and Linda prefers butter for fried eggs.
The key here is moderation. Yes, our bodies can handle a certain amount of fat. In what seems to be contrary to the evolutionary theory underlying Paleo diets people of differing ethnicities can often handle more or less fat than 'average,' whatever that is. Err on the side of caution and if there is any doubt or you have a fat-averse medical condition consult your doctor. Seriously. As I said we plan on having tests done periodically to make sure that we aren't killing ourselves.
Something to consider- our pre-agricultural paleolithic ancestors probably roasted things a lot more than they fried them. Probably best to emulate that; that would agree with both conventional medical wisdom and paleo-diet theory.
So- enjoy your lard... but don't go crazy.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Oh, the sacrifices... Or not.
I told you that this time we would talk about what we have been eating. Before we get to what we have been eating let's talk about the rationale for our diet. Remember, we are not scientists or dieticians or anything like that. You should not blindly follow 'our' diet. If you do keep in touch with your doctor and make sure it's not harming you. This blog is about our journey, which we hope will lead us to a better, healthier lifestyle. It's not guaranteed to do so and even if it works for us it's not certain to work for you. However if it it does work for us then maybe there is something useful here for you.
People have some very weird ideas about fat. They think that low-fat foods are good for dieting. They have this unconscious image of the tiny particles of fat being discretely removed from their food by some mysterious process and being redeposited at various locations on their body. Don't want to be fat? Don't eat fat. It's sort of intuitive. It's also more or less completely wrong.
Here is the grossly over-simplified version in layman's terms- our body turns food into fat. First it turns everything into calories (energy.) It turns surplus calories into fat. With me so far? It turns some things into calories faster than other things. It turns fat into calories faster than lean meat. It turns some kinds of fat into calories faster than others. It turns carbohydrates into calories faster than it does fat. It turns sugar into calories faster than it does other carbohydrates. It turns processed sugars into calories so fast you might as well mainline the stuff. This is OK. We need calories to function. they are the gas that runs our engines and makes us go.
This brings us to starch. Your body turns starch into sugar. Thus the connection between starch and fat is that next to sugar starch is the first thing that translates into fat. But all sugars are not created equal. Nor are all starches or fats. Some are more bio-accessible (easier to turn into calories) than others. Processed sugars are the worst- and the more processed it is the worse it is for you. Some hold that High-Fructose Corn Syrup is the worst of all. Since it's use exploded in the 1980s America has gotten fat. There may be a connection.
The problem with this of course is that processed sugars get converted to calories far faster than you can use them- at least faster than you can use them unless you are running a Marathon. So it turns the surplus calories into fat to save up for later. But then we eat more sugar before that fat gets used up. Or starch, which is quickly turned into sugar. The result is that we get fat.
This all gets horribly complicated and involved and the science of various aspects of it are still being debated. Unfortunately I am a simple guy. I need simple rules, preferably that I can count on one or at most two handfuls of fingers. Here are the rules that we are following so far:
*NO processed sugars. High Fructose Corn syrup is a HELL NO. Do we do this perfectly? Of course not. We have our planned slips- we get to split a 20oz. cola a week. That's not going to kill us. And of course on our monthly Go-To-Hell Diet Day we can have whatever we want. Weirdly I'm starting to suspect that we'll want less bad stuff then you might expect on those days. Pizza and pasta are real contenders for GTHD days... but we'll see.
*NO 'white starches.' These are things like potatoes, white rice, wheat flour and most grains period. No bread products, no pasta. These are too easily converted to sugar and have some other problems that we'll get into another time. Wild rice is apparently OK but see the next rule. The other exception to this is likely to be late-summer and fall where certain grains will be on the list in moderation. I expected to crave these things because I love bread and pasta but it's not happening. Interesting.
*Processed= Bad. While meat is on the menu processed lunch meats, hot dogs (even kosher ones) and sausages are not. Damn. I love me some sausages. From here out though if I want them I'm going to have to learn to make them... a tragedy of limited scope given how much I love to cook! Basically if it comes in a box it's probably out. If it's packaged in a factory it's probably not good. Most canned goods will be out too. Anything that contains something that is not recognizably food is a no-no. Of course reason and cost enter into this. 'Natural' foods are often very expensive and we don't have a ton of money. We have to make some compromises but we are buying 'natural' and 'organic' products when possible.
*Olive Oil, Butter and home-rendered Lard for cooking. I'm relying on other primal dieters information on this one but it makes sense. These are the least processed fats used for cooking. I think it's safe to say that humans have been eating olives and squeezing them for oil as long as there have been people with access to them. Which is a very bloody long time. This does not mean that fat has become a new food group. I would imagine that things like gout and congestive heart failure are still things to be concerned about. But your body is designed to consume a certain amount of fat and as long as you stick to the simplest fats and exercise some moderation you'll probably be better off than eating modern hyper-processed 'healthy' fats. Which last time I checked had turned out to be some of the worst possible stuff for you. The theory is that if your body isn't dealing with all the 'bad stuff' from processed foods it's more than capable of dealing with moderate amounts of the fats we are using. A couple months in we'll be having medical tests to see what effects it's having on us.
So, with those rules in mind let's talk about what we have been eating. We're finding that eating 'seasonally' is more of a goal than a reality at this point but we're working on it.
Breakfast: Breakfast usually features a protein, either eggs or meat and an 8oz. glass of goat's milk and a cup of coffeee or two.
I have become fond of what I call 'Nomlets' (nom nom!) for a quick and easy breakfast. We have a pan that is just the right size to make a nice disk out of two eggs. A little olive oil and medium heat for the pan, two eggs (yolks broken) and fry the eggs. After flipping them add a slice of goat cheese and some tomatoes or a tablespoon of salsa and fold the egg over like an omelet. Served with sea-salt, some fruit.
Another favored breakfast was sliced fried pork belly (from naturally raised Berkshire pigs.) This is basically bacon that has not been cured and you cook it like bacon. After cooking you can strain the fat to use for cooking in the future. We ate this with grapes, sliced apples and some goat cheese.
'The Pig Guy' gave us a present last time we picked up our pork from him- he called it a 'Korean Yam.' A couple of days later I sliced it up and fried it in lard from the pork belly. After the yam slices were starting to get crispy I removed them from the pan and quickly sauteed some baby spinach to serve with the yams. Served with a little sea salt, some cheese and fruit.
Scrambles are also good. 2 eggs per person well scrambled. add some goat cheese, cubed tomato, green onion. After it's pretty well done toss in some baby spinach or other greens and cook until they begin to 'wilt.' Serve with fruit.
Lunch: On the rare occasions that I have had lunch it's usually been some fruit, baby carrots and some cheese. Maybe some leftover meat if there is any from the night before but there usually isn't. More often we are just not hungry and 'lunch' becomes a handful of baby carrots or a small bowl of home-made cole-slaw between 3-4pm. Maybe a slice of cheese if dinner will be late.
Dinner: Meat, a green vegetable, a salad or coleslaw and some fruit and maybe some cheese. More often than not we have water or seltzer with dinner rather than goat's milk but this is not a hard and fast rule. Once at least we have had fried yams with sweet onions with dinner and a couple of times sauteed Baby Bok Choy cabbage with garlic and a bit of soy sauce.
The most common fruits we are eating currently are apples, grapes and tomatoes. Not really seasonal but relatively cheap and easily had. We'll be researching seasonal substitutes but at our latitude there just isn't much this early in the year.
Even though we're only a week into the diet we have noticed some interesting things. The things that we have fried in lard don't taste greasy to us, even when we can see a slight sheen of grease on the food. We are finding that we don't get hungry as much; as I already said we usually don't feel a lunch is needed. We also don't get bitchy or head-achey when we don't eat like we used to. No sugar drops either. We also have more energy and are not getting upset stomachs regularly like we used to. Overall we are feeling... healthy. We're not used to that...
We have noticed that we are eating perhaps too much fried food and want more green vegetables. We are also aware that fruit is quite sugary and don't want to eat too much until our activity levels go up as summer comes on. We need to exercise moderation with nuts; they aren't in season yet and are quite fattening. We have just read on Mark's Daily Apple (a leading paleo-diet blog at Marksdailyapple.com) that Sweet Potatoes and Yams are really carb-rich and should be eaten in moderation or as a post-work-out food. This being the case we'll eat them less often and restrict them to breakfast when we have a day of work ahead of us to use up all those carbs. I am also going to be doing more research into Neolithic feeder crops and grain harvesting by paleolithic hunter-gatherers; I may have to rethink the 'seasonal grains' theory.
The biggest thing that we have noted with surprise are the lack of cravings. We are not craving breads, pasta, sugar or sodas. We are finding the meals very satisfying and really feel good physically. We've had no 'carb flu' or carb crash because of course we are still eating natural carbs. So far so good.
Next time we'll talk about rendering your own lard and maybe even some recipes.
This all gets horribly complicated and involved and the science of various aspects of it are still being debated. Unfortunately I am a simple guy. I need simple rules, preferably that I can count on one or at most two handfuls of fingers. Here are the rules that we are following so far:
*NO processed sugars. High Fructose Corn syrup is a HELL NO. Do we do this perfectly? Of course not. We have our planned slips- we get to split a 20oz. cola a week. That's not going to kill us. And of course on our monthly Go-To-Hell Diet Day we can have whatever we want. Weirdly I'm starting to suspect that we'll want less bad stuff then you might expect on those days. Pizza and pasta are real contenders for GTHD days... but we'll see.
*NO 'white starches.' These are things like potatoes, white rice, wheat flour and most grains period. No bread products, no pasta. These are too easily converted to sugar and have some other problems that we'll get into another time. Wild rice is apparently OK but see the next rule. The other exception to this is likely to be late-summer and fall where certain grains will be on the list in moderation. I expected to crave these things because I love bread and pasta but it's not happening. Interesting.
*Processed= Bad. While meat is on the menu processed lunch meats, hot dogs (even kosher ones) and sausages are not. Damn. I love me some sausages. From here out though if I want them I'm going to have to learn to make them... a tragedy of limited scope given how much I love to cook! Basically if it comes in a box it's probably out. If it's packaged in a factory it's probably not good. Most canned goods will be out too. Anything that contains something that is not recognizably food is a no-no. Of course reason and cost enter into this. 'Natural' foods are often very expensive and we don't have a ton of money. We have to make some compromises but we are buying 'natural' and 'organic' products when possible.
*Olive Oil, Butter and home-rendered Lard for cooking. I'm relying on other primal dieters information on this one but it makes sense. These are the least processed fats used for cooking. I think it's safe to say that humans have been eating olives and squeezing them for oil as long as there have been people with access to them. Which is a very bloody long time. This does not mean that fat has become a new food group. I would imagine that things like gout and congestive heart failure are still things to be concerned about. But your body is designed to consume a certain amount of fat and as long as you stick to the simplest fats and exercise some moderation you'll probably be better off than eating modern hyper-processed 'healthy' fats. Which last time I checked had turned out to be some of the worst possible stuff for you. The theory is that if your body isn't dealing with all the 'bad stuff' from processed foods it's more than capable of dealing with moderate amounts of the fats we are using. A couple months in we'll be having medical tests to see what effects it's having on us.
So, with those rules in mind let's talk about what we have been eating. We're finding that eating 'seasonally' is more of a goal than a reality at this point but we're working on it.
Breakfast: Breakfast usually features a protein, either eggs or meat and an 8oz. glass of goat's milk and a cup of coffeee or two.
I have become fond of what I call 'Nomlets' (nom nom!) for a quick and easy breakfast. We have a pan that is just the right size to make a nice disk out of two eggs. A little olive oil and medium heat for the pan, two eggs (yolks broken) and fry the eggs. After flipping them add a slice of goat cheese and some tomatoes or a tablespoon of salsa and fold the egg over like an omelet. Served with sea-salt, some fruit.
Another favored breakfast was sliced fried pork belly (from naturally raised Berkshire pigs.) This is basically bacon that has not been cured and you cook it like bacon. After cooking you can strain the fat to use for cooking in the future. We ate this with grapes, sliced apples and some goat cheese.
'The Pig Guy' gave us a present last time we picked up our pork from him- he called it a 'Korean Yam.' A couple of days later I sliced it up and fried it in lard from the pork belly. After the yam slices were starting to get crispy I removed them from the pan and quickly sauteed some baby spinach to serve with the yams. Served with a little sea salt, some cheese and fruit.
Scrambles are also good. 2 eggs per person well scrambled. add some goat cheese, cubed tomato, green onion. After it's pretty well done toss in some baby spinach or other greens and cook until they begin to 'wilt.' Serve with fruit.
Lunch: On the rare occasions that I have had lunch it's usually been some fruit, baby carrots and some cheese. Maybe some leftover meat if there is any from the night before but there usually isn't. More often we are just not hungry and 'lunch' becomes a handful of baby carrots or a small bowl of home-made cole-slaw between 3-4pm. Maybe a slice of cheese if dinner will be late.
Dinner: Meat, a green vegetable, a salad or coleslaw and some fruit and maybe some cheese. More often than not we have water or seltzer with dinner rather than goat's milk but this is not a hard and fast rule. Once at least we have had fried yams with sweet onions with dinner and a couple of times sauteed Baby Bok Choy cabbage with garlic and a bit of soy sauce.
The most common fruits we are eating currently are apples, grapes and tomatoes. Not really seasonal but relatively cheap and easily had. We'll be researching seasonal substitutes but at our latitude there just isn't much this early in the year.
Even though we're only a week into the diet we have noticed some interesting things. The things that we have fried in lard don't taste greasy to us, even when we can see a slight sheen of grease on the food. We are finding that we don't get hungry as much; as I already said we usually don't feel a lunch is needed. We also don't get bitchy or head-achey when we don't eat like we used to. No sugar drops either. We also have more energy and are not getting upset stomachs regularly like we used to. Overall we are feeling... healthy. We're not used to that...
We have noticed that we are eating perhaps too much fried food and want more green vegetables. We are also aware that fruit is quite sugary and don't want to eat too much until our activity levels go up as summer comes on. We need to exercise moderation with nuts; they aren't in season yet and are quite fattening. We have just read on Mark's Daily Apple (a leading paleo-diet blog at Marksdailyapple.com) that Sweet Potatoes and Yams are really carb-rich and should be eaten in moderation or as a post-work-out food. This being the case we'll eat them less often and restrict them to breakfast when we have a day of work ahead of us to use up all those carbs. I am also going to be doing more research into Neolithic feeder crops and grain harvesting by paleolithic hunter-gatherers; I may have to rethink the 'seasonal grains' theory.
The biggest thing that we have noted with surprise are the lack of cravings. We are not craving breads, pasta, sugar or sodas. We are finding the meals very satisfying and really feel good physically. We've had no 'carb flu' or carb crash because of course we are still eating natural carbs. So far so good.
Next time we'll talk about rendering your own lard and maybe even some recipes.
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