The Battle over Grass-fed Meat

My friend Will at Karma Crossfit in Manhattan Beach, showed me this article on Robbwolf.com this morning. It's astonishing to say the least. And the report Fox News did about grass-fed beef makes me want to throw a kettlebell through their studio window.

Anyway, watch and read for yourself.

Link to video... Why Grassfed Beef is Worse for the Environment

Link to article... Shit Fox News Says

Tacos

Hey everyone, sorry I've been lagging lately. I've been really busy. So, I found a quick and delicious recipe  from primal-palate.com for those of you who work long hours or can't seem to detach yourself from the barbell. It's one of my favorites. Who doesn't love tacos... c'mon.

Ingredients:

2 T chili powder

1-1/2 T cumin

1-1/2 T paprika

1 T onion powder

1 T garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Process:

1. Cook ground turkey on medium until all pink is gone. Drain off most of the juices, and mix in 1 tbsp of the taco seasoning.
2. Continue to mix seasoning in until uniformly distributed.
3. Place 1/2 cup of ground turkey on a lettuce leaf, then put on the toppings of your choice. I typically do all the toppings shown at right (onion, avocado, tomato & black olives).
4. Wrap the lettuce leaf around the meat and eat it!

Some simple sides for your Easter feast.

Garlic and Herb Mashed Cauliflower

 

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, washed, and cut into florets
• 1 vidalia onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons kerrygold unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Process:

1. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket in a large soup pot, season with salt and pepper, and steam until soft (about 10-12 minutes, test with a fork).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of kerrygold butter in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
3. Saute onion, garlic, and herbs until onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. Place steamed cauliflower into a high speed blender or food processor. Add the sauteed onion, garlic, and herbs, along with the second tablespoon of butter. Process until smooth.
5. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary, or a sprinkling of fresh ground pepper.

Kale Salad with Fresh Mint & Orange Vinaigrette

 (the picture shows spinach but I say use the kale we got in this week's market order)

Salad Ingredients:

4 cups blanched kale1 small red beet, raw, peeled & shredded
1 small zucchini, raw & shredded
(using a food processor with a shredding disc is ideal, or you can shred them by hand)

Mint & Orange Vinaigrette Ingredients:

Juice + zest of 1 orange (you can use a lemon if you don’t have an orange)
1 Tbsp Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar or more to taste
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or melted coconut oil/bacon fat)
1/2 Tsp gluten-free dijon mustard
4 fresh spearmint leaves, finely chopped
pinch of granulated garlic/garlic powder (or grate a bit of fresh garlic on a zester!)
sea salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Place spinach in your salad bowl or plate.
• Shred the beet and zucchini.
• Whisk to combine the dressing ingredients, then toss the shredded beet & zucchini into the dressing.
• Top the spinach with the dressed, shredded veggies.
• Garnish with half of an orange slice and sprig of mint. Done!

and of course...

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil¼ - ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Trim dried parts from bottom of asparagus stalks, removing ½ an inch
2. Line asparagus spears side-by-side, in a single layer, in a 9x13 pyrex baking dish
3. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt
4. Give the pan a few shakes to roll the asparagus a half-turn
5. Roast in an oven at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from oven when tips start to brown
6. Cool a few minutes, then serve

Roasted Beef Brisket

I've been obsessing about baking brisket lately. I don't own a roasting pan with a rack, but I think after finding this recipe I'm just gonna have to suck it up and go buy one. You should too! This dish takes awhile to cook but just look at that meat. So tender and juicy. Nothing compares!

Roasted Beef Brisket with Parsley, Mint and Thyme

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) beef brisket, trimmed
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
6 cloves garlic
1 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season brisket all over with salt and pepper and then arrange on a rack in a roasting pan; roast for 1 hour. Meanwhile, put parsley, mint, thyme, vinegar, pepper flakes, garlic, onion, salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse to make a thick paste; set aside.

After 1 hour, remove brisket from oven; reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Carefully add broth to pan, spread herb paste over brisket, cover pan with foil and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes or so, until very tender, 2 to 3 hours more. Transfer brisket to a platter; set aside to let rest for 10 minutes. Skim off and discard any fat from liquid in pan. Trim brisket further, if desired, then thinly slice against the grain and spoon pan sauce over the top.

Legumes

Beans beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat the more you...

Click on the picture for a great article about legumes that was posted on whole9life.com. You'd be surprised how much damage these little guys do to your body. Read on, learn some things, then go battle the other bean-eating kids on the playground who are tooting all over the place. :)

How Western Diets Are Making The World Sick

Thanks Joe Unger for sharing this article. It's some good reading. A little depressing, but insightful. Hopefully these articles are encouraging you to eat clean food. It's so super important, physically and mentally.

Click HERE to find out why the effects of urbanization are making people everywhere in the world both fatter and sicker.

Spicy Stuffed Peppers

Day 31 of the IWC Challenge. So close to the finish line, keep up the good work! Here is a great recipe from primal-palate.com to help keep you going. Growing up, my mother made these for my dad alll the time. Granted, she stuffed them with rice and put a lot of cheese on top, but I'm guessing this paleo version tastes just as lovely (especially if you use all the good spices).

Try it, let me know how it turns out. :)

Ingredients:

• 4 Bell Peppers
• 1 lb Lean ground turkey
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 2 cups Cauliflower, grated
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Crushed pepper
• Olive Oil

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Clean all vegetables, slice peppers approximately 1" from tops and save tops. For miniature peppers, slice closer to the top.
3. Clean out seeds and membrane from the inside of the peppers, then rinse.
4. Grate cauliflower coarsely, and microwave for 1.5 minutes (if you'd prefer, you can add it earlier on in the sauteeing below in place of microwaving*).
5. Cook turkey in a skillet on medium heat, and add Montreal steak seasoning, salt and crushed pepper to taste.
6. Once turkey has cooked through, remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
7. Saute onion and garlic in your choice of coconut oil or olive oil. Add in tomato to briefly saute (about 1 minute)
8. Add in cauliflower rice, then turkey and stir for 2-3 minutes before removing from heat. Allow mixture to cool a few minutes.
9. Scoop turkey mixture into peppers, re-cap, then brush the outsides lightly with olive oil.
10. Bake peppers for 15 minutes at 400°, or until edges are golden and peppers are somewhat soft. Smaller peppers take approximately 20 minutes to cook.

Sugar and Sweeteners!

Great article about sugar on BalancedBites.com today. Diane Sanfilippo knows what she's talking about. Here is it, copied directly from her site.  :)

The Dish on Sugar & Sweeteners

I get a TON of questions about sugar and sweeteners. Most people just want to know which are okay to eat and which are bad. But, of course, I can’t just say “eat this, not that” without some kind of explanation behind it. In an effort to keep this as short and sweet (pun intended) as possible, I’m going to boil it down to a few key points.

1. ALL sweeteners, caloric or non-caloric, can contribute to weight-gain or prohibit weight loss.
2. Sweeteners that come from nature are always better to consume than those that come from a lab or factory.
3. Regardless of the source, it’s ALWAYS best to minimize your exposure to sweeteners.

To read what Diane has to say about these 3 key points... click HERE!

Bacon-topped Spinach and Mushroom Meatloaf

Super Porktastic Bacon-Topped Spinach and Mushroom Meatloaf

Heading into another paleo weekend. Weather report says it's supposed to be cold and rainy all weekend. Perfect weather to try out a warm and cozy meatloaf.  This recipe from nomnompaleo.com caught my eye because of it's topping. I can't deny bacon. When it calls out to me I give in. Oh, so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chopped spinach
• 1 ¼ pounds of pork, veal, or beef
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup small-dice celery (from about 2 medium stalks)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
• 1/2 pound finely chopped Cremini mushrooms
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3-5 bacon slices
• Tomato sauce, warmed, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F with the rack placed in the middle.
• Sautee spinach until it's soft, press all of the excess water out of it.
• Heat the butter over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet and toss in the chopped onions and mushrooms, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Sautee until the liquid evaporates and the onions are softened.
• Blend coconut cream, parsley and celery until a puree is formed.
• Place the pork in a large bowl, followed by the chopped spinach, coconut flour, garlic, measured salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
• Then add the coconut cream puree, beaten eggs, onions, and mushrooms.
• Mix ingredients together with your hands.
• Transfer mix into an UNGREASED 9x5 loaf pan.
• Layer the bacon on top then bake the loaf for 70 minutes, rotating it at the halfway point.
• Broil for 3 minutes to crisp the bacon on top.
• There's quite a but of grease that pools in the pan so pour it off and let the roast sit for 20 minutes before eating.

Starting your own Garden

Starting Your Own Garden

As some of you may have heard, Diso and I were throwing around the idea of starting a garden on the roof of the gym. Unfortunately, the landlord said no. But, we aren't going to let that get us down. Having a  community garden for gym members would be so much fun. There is nothing more primal and paleo than growing your own veggies and spices. How awesome would it be to just walk outside after doing Fran and picking your own veggies for dinner? Anyway, ideas are still being tossed around so if you have any, we'd love to hear them.

(Click HERE for article)

I know a lot of us live in apartments that don't cater to our community garden dreams, but if you have your own space that could accomodate a garden, consider doing it. You can grow a lot of food in a small space. I found this article on RobWolf.com yesterday and took it as a sign from the crossfit gods that starting a community garden for PCF is something that just needs to be done. For those of you who have the spacial capabilities to start a garden, this article will be of much help to you. For those of you still dreaming, it's a nice inspirational read. :)

Eating Meat

Eating Meat: A Primer for the Meat-Challenged



I remember when I first started eating Paleo. I was still on the college diet. Anything that was cheap. Pasta, frozen pizza, peanut butter and jelly... anything from the 99 cent store. The thought of eating a big slab of meat for every meal was exhausting. But once I cut out grains, there really wasn't much else to eat. My new relationship with meat began. And I must say, this is a relationship that will last forever. I started out cooking simple things, things I knew. Ground meat and some chicken... that was etty much it. Then slowy, meat became something that I craved all the time. Now, I cook all kinds of fish, steak, fliet mignon, ground turkey, pork chops, you name it. 



Here is a helpful article from whole9life.com. It's breaks down reasons why meat is such a good thing and gives you tips on how to make it a regular staple of your diet. For those of you who still have a hard time eating meat, I highly suggest you read this. (Click HERE.)



Just a small side-note: When purchasing meat, try to buy grassfed as much as you can. Aside from the health benefits of not ingesting chemicals and antibiotics, they taste amazing! So juicy and tender. Remember, you eat what the animal eats. :)

Ask Diso about the monthly US Wellness Meat order he places every month. It's well worth your money!

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney

I made this last night for dinner and it turned out great. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a full-size grill, so I used a George Forman Grill and it worked just fine. The fish stayed super juicy, despite what I had expected.

Classic mango chutney has added sugar, but the recipe relied solely on the ripe mango for the sweet flavor of the dish. This mango chutney packs a powerful flavor punch, so they kept the seasoning for the fish more mild. They accompanied the dish with a simple cauliflower rice to bring it all together. You can find this recipe and more at primal-palate.com.

 Ingredients: Mango Chutney

• 2 ripe mangoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 of a large red onion, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• The juice of 1.5 limes
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Process:

1. In a large frying pan, heat coconut oil on medium.
2. Add garlic and ginger to the frying pan and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add red onion and red bell pepper to the frying pan and continue to saute for another minute.
4. Add the chopped mango, lime juice, curry powder, and red pepper flakes. Continue to saute until the red bell pepper, onion, and mango have softened. About 5 minutes.
5. Turn heat down to simmer, and cover with a lid until serving.

Ingredients: Grilled Mahi Mahi

• 4 Mahi Mahi filets (ours were about 5-6 oz in size each) (I used two big fillets from Trader Joe's)
• The juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

Process:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a food processor until well blended. (I used a magic bullet)
2. Marinate the fish in a ziploc bag for up to 1 hour before grilling.
3. Heat grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees). If you have a fish plate for your grill, allow it to preheat as well.
4. Place fish on the grill, skin side down first. Cook for 4-5 minutes before flipping.
5. Cook opposite side for 4-5 minutes, until fish is opaque in the center.