Peters On Paleo

Eat real food.  That is one of the best lessons I’ve learned so far in my life.  Anything that comes in a box, bag, jar, tub, or has a barcode, I ask myself – is this real food?  Obviously, there are many times where it is.  Say a bag of onions or a jar of unsweetened apple sauce.  Other times it’s clear  we’re not talking about real food – Michael Pollan used Gogurt as an excellent example in In Defense of Food.

Sometimes I encounter a grey area that requires me to rethink my mantra “eat real food”.  I’m talking about protein powder, nutrition bars found in the “natural foods” section, juices and other premade drinks, and that stuff that somehow got the “healthy” stamp of approval by who knows, and advertises it.  Generally speaking, my stance is that these are not real foods, but that doesn’t mean I completely avoid them like I would with something in the Gogurt catagory.

The amount of processing and questionable ingredients in most protein powders is enough to tell me that it is in fact, not real food.  And therefore, I tend to use the stuff rarely – but that’s not to say I don’t use it in a post-workout nutritional pinch.  Also, I’m very skeptical of any sort of new-fangled product that supposedly helps improve your health.  Someone is trying to make money on this product, or they would not be offering it to me.  That’s just how it is in my mind.

Now I’ll venture into a slightly more controversial topic – smoothies or juices.   Why can’t you just eat your calories – as nature intended –  instead of drink them?  I understand the convenience aspect occasionally, but to consume the majority of your daily calories in a form that the TSA would not allow anything more than 3 oz per container in a ziptop bag is highly questionable, in my opinion.  Take some time and chew in your life!  Any thoughts on this?

Today’s recipe is for rainbow trout.  It’s no big deal really.  I picked up some fillets at the grocery store, patted them dry, coated with olive oil,  sprinked them with salt, pepper, coriander (fresh ground), fresh chopped garlic, and dried oregano.  Then I thinly sliced lemon and roma tomatoes on top and threw that bad boy in the oven to roast.  When it was mostly cooked I switched to broiler mode to try and brown up those lemon slices and make it look interesting with so-so results.  I’ll try to do better next time.  Anyway, folks like me who live far from oceans need to eat more freshwater fish, and trout is the easiest way to make that transition.  Here are some pictures.

We're go for the oven, standby.

Transferred to the plate, served with some more of that grated cauliflower (one of our favorites) and some boiled garden beets.

According to my wife Kerry, beets smell like dirt.  Needless to say she’s not a fan.  Me, I like them.  But let me tell you, if you’re like me, your first experience with beeturia will freak you out.

Cheers.

How is there enough time to cook Paleo-friendly meals every day?  It admittedly takes more time to prepare than a conventional western diet meal.  Almost anything that is prepared and packaged in a box or bag, whether it be in the freezer section or dried goods is likely to be off limits, so all the normal dinner shortcuts are out.  I even make it harder on myself since I tend to buy food in the least processed state possible and do the prep work myself to save a few bucks.

Most people would say Kerry and I have it pretty easy, as time in the day goes.  No kids, just a few cats that are pretty independent once fed.  Still, I have to be diligent in planning ahead for every meal to remove the temptation to call for takeout.  Chicken still frozen at 9 pm?   Bad news for everyone.   This means I need my mise en place.  Vegetables need to be washed and cut, meat needs to be thawed and trimmed, and seasonings need to be at-hand.   It doesn’t mean I know exactly what I’m making for every night this month – you gotta roll with the punches.  But basically I have the confidence to get in the kitchen at 7 pm and have something ready by 8, with enough leftover for lunch the next day.  “8 pm, wow that’s late!,” you say?  Well I say its relative.

My day starts at 5:20 am – I hit the gym, get back home and get ready for work which includes breakfast and brewing coffee.  I’m in the office by 8:30 and I tend to hang out there until 6 pm.  I’m home about 30 minutes before Kerry gets home, which is my planning phase for the evening meal.  I’m getting pretty good at this “winging it” part, and it takes practice.  Luckily there’s a wealth of information and recipes available to get started.  I have it optimized to about 45 minutes, and that includes the majority of cleanup.  I think this is very reasonable, especially since most “30 minutes or less” meals assume you have all your mise en place.  There are tons of ways I could prepare further in advance and cut down that time even more, but then I wouldn’t have time to write about it.  I’m also not perfect – after a rough day, or if I forget to defrost the protein, dinner doesn’t get on the table until 10 pm.  Kerry has been patient, luckily for me, on those days.  Or she orders from Panera…

This post’s example is Meatza.  Really we’re just talking about a thin meatloaf formed to a pan, but the ground beef is the “crust” of your pizza.  I used an Italian seasoning, but your only limited by your imagination.  Using my hands I mixed 2 lb ground beef with 2 eggs, herbs, garlic, and some salt and pepper.

I took a moment to arrange my ingredients. How nice of me.

Then I grabbed my cast iron pan and formed my meatza crust up the walls, like you might do for a pie crust (in a former life).  I had some leftover canned tomato (crushed) that I used to spread over the meatza.

Some crushed tomato for my meatza

I baked it at 375ish for 15-20 minutes.  To be honest I’ve forgotten exactly… Really just pretend your baking a huge hamburger that doesn’t need to be flipped.

Break out the pizza wheel for this one!

When my meatza was mostly cooked, I sprinkled spinach and a bit of grated parmigiano (yes I buy the real stuff).

EDIT:  I forgot to mention that the fat/water in the ground beef could make the meatza soupy.  I drained mine before finishing it off with the spinach.

Then back into the oven to let that spinach wilt.  This was a last minute idea I had to use up spinach that was on the verge of being tossed.

Tons of fun! Enjoy!

Crossfit Games are in less than a week!  Should be fun to watch, since I’ve been so involved with the sport of fitness this year.  We got back from our weekend trip and I just wanted to crash on the couch and relax.  We ended up watching tons of videos on the Crossfit Games website, and there were some athlete interviews on nutrition that were pretty interesting.  Some of these top athletes have less-than-strict standards, or at least less than I would have thought.  It leads me to believe that these guys have some good genes which allow them to tolerate more than others.  The fact that they’re putting in 3 to 4 workouts a day means they’re burning through so many calories, the body is just trying to keep up.  Also, there’s quite a bit of recovery shakes and powders being consumed by these firebreathers, especially during competitive events.  The Crossfit nutritionist paints with a broad brush, saying that if it doesn’t appear to harm your performance and you feel good, then go for it.  Makes sense.

So is Paleo for everyone?  I’m going to have to say no.  Is it the only thing that works?  Well, depends on your goals, but again, no.  For me, it works to shed fat without having to count calories, and to eat to satiety with no regrets.  After a heavy workout day I do consume more carbohydrates than rest days.  And after a binge cheat day filled with refined grains, I feel miserable.  So, there’s the evidence I need.  My goal for this upcoming challenge, in less than 18 days, is to see what the extra 20% push to go strict on the diet gets me.  The details and the plan will be laid out in future posts.

Now I want to talk about the salad I made at the campsite.  I forgot to take a picture unfortunately, but use your imagination.  I tasted the Vietnamese salad initially at Blue Ginger in Columbus, OH, and I’ve been playing around with the ingredients at home ever since.  The salad is so full of flavor and color, and is just a great summer dish for large events.  Here’s the latest iteration:

To make 8-10 servings, toss together

• 1 large jicima, sliced in strips
• 3/4 napa cabbage, shredded (mostly white part)
• 4 diced sweet peppers (I go for 1 of each color)
• 3 diced mangos
• 1 diced cucumber
• 1 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup each of dried coconut shavings and almond slivers

What is this Paleo diet going to cost me?  I’ll admit there’s an initial sticker shock when 90% of the grocery cart is produce and animal protein, especially when I was used to getting the majority of my calories from wheat, corn, rice, and soy (the cheapest calories per dollar in existance).  Also, I’m all about saving what I can, I’m not seeing the coupons for meat and vegetables in the Sunday paper.  

The further I got into the details of the diet, I discovered the standard grocery store offerings are falling short.  Not only am I not supposed to eat grains, the meat from animals I eat weren’t supposed to eat grains either!  And then organic produce can cost anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times as much as it’s conventional counterpart. 

A good example of my average shopping trip

 Now, a year and a half into our ~80% compliant version of Paleo, I’m no longer phased by the number at the bottom of the grocery bill.  I’m about 50% organic groceries (thanks to Green BEAN, which doesn’t give me the choice).  But, I’m struggling with moving toward the grassfed beef and pastured chicken/pork products.  We still buy lots of grainfed meat, and I just pop a few fishoil capsules or enjoy a tin of sardines to help keep that omega 6/3 ratio in check.  A plan is in place however, the keyword to avoid financial ruin is “bulk”.  Basically, ¼ of a grassfed cow for roughly $1000.  It’s not a bad deal, it works out to about $4/lb with a large variety of meat cuts (from the organ meats to the most prized filets).  For 2 persons, I expect I could make 3 beef-centric meals a week for 2 and it should last a year.  The issues are the buy-in cost and the storage.  Sure, I’ll spend much more than $1k over a year on meat, but the issue is budgeting to have that all at once, especially with all the other money-related curveballs life throws at you that tend to take priority.  Storage isn’t as bad – a freezer chest to hold cow fractions is relatively inexpensive, and I’m lucky enough to have a basement where I can store it. 

Anyway, I thought this receipt from a few days ago was a good representation of where I’m at for a week’s worth of dinner for 2.  It’s not quite perfet, because I’m preparing a camp dinner for 6 this weekend (flat iron steak, asparagus, and a jicima/mango salad).  That recipe will show up soon.

Today I want to share more of a technique than a method.  The “recipe” is for pork chops on the charcoal grill.  Easy enough, sprinkle some seasoning on the chops and throw them on the grill.  I don’t usually measure seasoning, but this mix included salt, pepper, cayenne, coriander, paprika, ginger, and oregano.  What I think makes mine stand out is the method.  My charcoal grill, 24”x18” of cast iron, converted from an old propane grill (in other words I ripped the guts out of it).  What this particular grill enables me to do is get the coals close to the food, and I’m talking fractions of an inch.  The coal is literally just below the grate, and there’s still plenty of airflow to get it rocket hot.  For chops that are about 1″ thick, just 4 minutes per side is all that is required.  After cooking, I wrap them in foil and let them rest for a good 5-8 minutes before serving.  

Pork chops done right

This blog still has that new blog smell, so it’s going to be fun to write every day until I start feeling it becoming a chore.  WordPress has tons of free things you can do to customize the layout and media, and hopefully that will be coming along soon.  Pretty bare bones at the moment.

There have been some good articles about sticking to the Paleo plan when on travel.  Mark’s Daily Apple and Whole 9 shared some cooler packing tips for the road.  I believe there are some good tips to be found through a simple google search.

However, one tricky issue I’ve struggled with is eating well on the business trip.  As an engineer, I do travel with colleagues on occasion for the design review here or a technical conference there.  I’m bound to have to eat together at the airport or hotel, or be tempted by the conference catering service’s offering of sodas and cookies brought in on the pallet jack.  And breakfast is the worst, alone or in groups – I took my spinach and egg scramble for granted at home!  I’m lucky to find fruit, much less any vegetables or protein.

I almost made it out clean on my last trip.  I caved on the 3rd day.  Here’s a summary of how my plans unraveled:

Day 1 – Standard breakfast and lunch since I have an evening flight, Cafe Patachou @ IND serves up omelettes all day!  I have 2 to get me through until morning.

Day 2 – Hotel has a $7 buffet breakfast, awesome!  I get settled with some coffee and grab a plate.  Fruit, bananas, bagels, and danishes.  Crud.  I eat my $7 worth of watermelon and get caffeinated.  The catering service at the meeting has an equally depressing spread.  More coffee for me.  Lunch time rolls around and we’re on our own in the plant cafeteria.  Finally I lock in on a salad bar with cold chicken, hard boiled eggs, and my favorite – bacon!  Great vegetable selection!  I weigh in at the cash register at 1.2 lbs.  After meeting ended, group dinner at an Italian joint.  My defenses were up and I got some chicken and spinach dish with a bit of melted cheese.  OK, no problem with that.  I avoided the bread basket.  I mark the day a success.

Day 3 – I get up early and make my way to a local cafe which got good reviews on Yelp.  They have a salmon omelette that has my name all over it.  But what’s this, hashbrowns and toast?  Dang, should have asked the waitress to leave it off the plate.  Now it’s just staring at me.  And this is where I crumble.  I recall Dr. Wansink’s book, Mindless Eating, and I know I’m in over my head.  My self control plummets in these situations.  I cleaned my plate of every last refined carbohydrate.  I dusted myself off, and cleaned up for the rest of the day.  Had the flight not been delayed and free alcohol available in the lounge (coworker got me in), I would have made it back to home base with out any other slip ups.

All said, I’m not too upset.  I’ve done much worse on previous trips.  The longer I’m gone, the harder it gets, though.  Always working at it.

Anyway, today’s recipe is a slaw.  It gets one thumb up, since Kerry won’t eat it.  Green BEAN had delivered some less-than-favorite vegetables and I had to make quick work of them.  Out comes the food processor with grater attachment, in goes broccoli stems, green cabbage, radishes, 1/2 onion, and carrots.  Transfer that to a bowl.  Then back in the food processor – 2 eggs and about a 1/2 cup of fat.  I mixed coconut oil and some rendered beef tallow (I’ll get to this one later).  Whip that up and add some mustard and lemon juice.  Wow, you just made mayo without any soybeans!  Combine your mayo with the shredded veggies and add salt and pepper, and it’s ready when you are.  I have to eat 1/2 lb every meal until its gone or the mayo spoils.  Kerry just had a baby spinach salad, which is more her style.  Oh well, you win some and you lose some.

First post here is 24 days before the beginning of the “45 day Partner Paleo Challenge” at Crossfit Indy North.  Kerry and I have been what I like to say is “80% compliant” to the Paleo diet guidelines (whatever that means), and it took us over a year to get there.  With this challenge, we decided attempt to go to 100% strict for 45 days, starting on August 9.  I’ll explain the details of the challenge later, but I’m excited to see how this will affect our lives.

I already know the hardest part of the challenge will be the social awkwardness of having to turn down the grain-based treat offered by the unsuspecting yet gracious acquaintance.   I can’t promise yet that I won’t always say no, especially if said treat involves alcohol.  My attitude is to “wait and see what happens”, with the mindset that there is a lot of grey area with the diet (I prefer the term “template” as discussed by Chris Kresser).  That said, my personal goals are to improve how I “Look, Feel, and Perform” a la Robb Wolf.   I’ll be checking in on goal progress over the next 70 days or so, write about anything interesting, and then we’ll see if it’s worth keeping it up.

A wannabe chef at my heart, every post will end with a Paleo-friendly recipe (or link) for something that either Kerry or I made recently.  Today’s recipe is Orange Chicken with Grated Cauliflower, courtesy of Health Bent, with my comments following.

Heath-Bent Orange Chicken

Kerry found this one, and it receives 2 thumbs up (in other words, we both liked it!).   Warning that this is a more time-consuming recipe, and I even bought the thighs deboned.  But, since it’s a Sunday, I figured I’d go for it.  I did consolidate to 1 pan, browned the meat and then simply added sauce to deglaze and let simmer uncovered while the chicken finish cooking.   Dark meat can hold up to longer cooking times.  Reconsider if you’re using white meat.  Also, give yourself plenty of time to let that sauce reduce, and don’t skimp on the orange zest.  I also more-or-less tripled the #’s of chicken, but only doubled the sauce recipe.  Since there’s no sugar or corn starch, there’s no cheating time for thick sauce.

For the grated cauliflower, I used my food processor with the grater attachment.  When the chicken was done, I emptied my pan but did not clean.  Reheated it, scrambled two eggs in butter (and any leftover burnt or saucy bits),  and mixed in the cauliflower.  I covered for just a few minutes, then mixed in chopped green onion and cilantro.  Win.

I took a picture with my phone, but unfortunately the looks did not translate to the taste, so I’ll leave that to the experts.