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.
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