Just Stay & Eat Veggie Dip!

Palos Verdes, CA

I'VE MISSED YOU!!! No, it's nothing you did that turned me away for so long. It's me, not you. But these things happen. Sometimes you just have to step back and recollect. Take a new look from a new angle.

CSA SEASON! And Simple Slow Cooker Chicken

 

CSA Season is upon us!! I had my first pick up this Tuesday. Have you signed on yet? If not, it may not be too late. If there are no CSA's around you, look for your local farmers market. They may only run a few days a week, so make sure you schedule them in when to your weekly routine. Oh, wait a minute, you don't know what a CSA is? Well, let me explain :)

For You && Mashed Celeriac

Friday conversation:

Me: I won't be there tomorrow, I'm headed down to the shore for the weekend.

Friend: It's gonna be nasty and raining, though

Me: I'd rather be down at the shore house when it's nasty and raining then sitting in my house when it's nasty and raining.

Friend: Good point.

PIZZA!

What is the number one thing people seem to hate about giving up grains? You might think bread, pasta, cereal, sandwiches..... NO! Pizza. Everyone wants pizza. Well, I'm here to tell you, you DON'T have to give up pizza. You just have to give up "conventional" pizza. And trade it in for something much much tastier.

Okra with Tomatoes and Bacon

What is motivation?

Is it when a speaker gets up in front of a crowd and tells them that they great, amazing people that are capable of doing anything they set their mind to? Is it when your employer offers a good health plan? Does it come from posters on the wall touting a one word description of a person who climbed a mountain as an "achievement"?

After that speaker, did you set out to do whatever you set your mind to? Did you work harder because of your health plan? Did you set out to achieve more because someone climbed a mountain*?

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts

Several weeks ago I was out helping my big brother with some stuff at his new house and I spotted a book titled "It's Called Work for a Reason" by Larry Winget. I chuckled a bit at the title and the bald, biker looking dude on the cover. My brother went on to tell me about how amazing this author is. He gave me a quick description of his writing style and recommended me reading it, but first I should read his first book titled "Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life". He grabbed me that book and I stood there and read the first few pages. Hilarious. Witty. And true. I am now about halfway through the book and I just can't wait any longer to get the word out: READ THIS BOOK.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

Long time no type! Lots of changes in my world over the past month; new job, new apartment (in less than 2 weeks!), new car, new phone, school semester finishing... It's been a little hectic! The new job has me in the car all day and traveling overnight one day a week. Getting ready to move and finishing the school semester has put quite a crunch on time. Shall I mention that I recently ran the Philadelphia Marathon?!? It was a lot of fun; good "bucket list" item to have crossed off :)

Roasted Beets, Eggplant, Onions & Scallions

Yep, another beet recipe! A little different that the last recipe, but equally as delicious. At first I was starting to get overwhelmed with the amount of beets I have been getting from the CSA, but I have really grown to like them. And these dishes freeze well which will come in handy when winter comes!

Paleo Portuguese Kale Soup

What is that?!? Celery, silly! No, I did not take this picture, but I like this one because it shows you the coolest component of our recipe today. Celeriac, aka celery root, is a super delicious vegetable that lent itself exceptionally well to this soup. Sometimes I think the gnarliest looking foods make for the best!

Outdoors If You Do & Sauteed Mushrooms with Onions and Garlic

August is the time of year that reminds me of why I love the great outdoors so much. The temperatures are starting to give way in the morning and evening while remaining bright, sunny, and warm in the middle of the day. Fall crops are really taking hold and coming to the peak of their season. School is just a few weeks away and fall sports are starting, if not well into, their pre-seasons. So, fellow healthy-living enthusiast, stand up from your desks and couches, back away from your keyboards and remotes, turn off that AC and STEP OUTSIDE!

Roasted Beets, Kohlrabi, and Collards in Garlic and Oil

Next topic, sprint sometimes. The theory behind this is that back in the day our ancestors walked around a lot (gather) and sprinted to catch their food, or run from it (hunt). Now I am going to take a completely different approach to this topic, seeing as we aren't running for (or from) our dinner. But we do need to sprint sometimes. To the bank before it closes, to the kid's soccer game after a long day at work, to get that proposal in before the deadline. However I want to stress the "sprint sometimes", ironically because stress plays a huge factor.

Time for You & Mexican Style Ground Turkey



When was the last time you did something for yourself? I mean really put everything aside, took some time out, and did something you enjoy doing, just for you? Today I took 2 hours out of my afternoon and laid on the hammock and read my book. Sure, I had other things I could have been doing such as bill paying, practicing my presentation for class, house cleaning, or even writing a post. But what does it all matter if you are so go-go-go all the time you can never stop to smell the flowers?

Stuffed Chicken with Savory Coconut Cauliflower

On the flip side of "can't" to "won't" to "will try", sometimes "can't" is okay. However, it's more of a "can't" to "shouldn't" to "can do this instead". Example? I ran a 5k this weekend. I started at the pace I usually do and quickly realized I was not going to be able to keep that pace. In a panic I almost stopped at about 1/2 a mile in. I could barely catch my breathe and my legs felt like rubber. However, not finishing was not an option for me. 

Maple Glazed Grilled Chicken with Grilled Sweet Potatoes and Zucchini

 For some of you CrossFit FiveStar followers, this post may look similar to one Shawn posted a little while back. It's about the word "can't". The word can't, otherwise known as cannot, is a just word, right? WRONG! It's a dirty word in disguise. It's an evil word masked behind a seemingly innocent word.

Tips & Guest Recipe!

So it has almost been one week; how are you making out with the elimination of grains in your diet? Going farther back, are you doing okay with the Zone blocks? Personal experience suggestion: print out the Zone proportions, black out the grain blocks, and keep the page on reference in your kitchen, car, work desk, or where ever you prepare/eat most of your meals. I laminated mine for durability. Keep it out when you are making your meals or ordering food so you know exactly how much to put on your plate.

Paleo Part 2 & Shad with Carrots and Peppers

In the words of Greg Glassman, CrossFit founder, ‘Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar.” Or as stated in Mark Sisson’s words of MarksDailyApple.com rules for living, “1. Eat lots of meat, insects, and plants”. Even the theme of Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, "Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plant",. basically sums it up. Personally, I just eat food. Whole food. I mean food that looks like its ingredients. Like eating carrots (ingredients: carrots). Or grilled steak (ingredients: beef (or venison, bison, caribou, whatever works…)) Even almond butter (ingredients: almonds, processed until smooth). Simple. Delicious. Nutritious.

Paleo Intro & Roasted Asparagus and Bison Burger

I got a great comment the other day on my previous post on The Zone diet. It was a suggestion to read a book called A Life Unburdened: Getting Over Weight and Getting ON With My Life, by Richard Morris. This gentleman lost over 100 pounds by stopping all dieting methods. I will certainly look into this book and report on it in the future.

It does bring up an interesting concept, however, that ties in nicely to today's post. No dieting. Now, if you remember, several posts ago I made clear my stance on the term "diet". As defined by conventional wisdom of strict limitations of amount and/or types of food for a specific period of time with the intentions of weight/loss or improved health, I hate the term. As defined CORRECTLY, a diet is the sum of all foods consumed. And, when coupled with nutrition, a diet is a huge part of nourishing humans. It should be attainable, sustainable, and enjoyable.

My Diet Experience & Sweet and Sour Carrots and Celery

Now that you know how I feel about the word "diet", I want to dive into two "diets" that I do support from both personal experience and expert advice. The two diets, of which you may be familiar, are The Zone and Paleo/Primal. 

First, I want to give you a little background on my personal experience with these two diets. When I graduated college it dawned on me that I had packed a bit extra baggage to take home. I moved back home and started a cardio kickboxing program at the karate school I attended as a kid. I also started training for a half marathon in November. I switched to eating mostly whole grains and lower fats since that was what most of the articles I found on MSN health and other sites suggested. Also, continuing with the "carbo-load" mindset from high school track, I ate tons of pastas and breads before a long run along with high carb "recovery" snacks after cardio class. October hits and I realize that I haven't lost a pound; if anything, I had gained more. So I started counting calories. I found an awesome app on my iTouch called Lose It!. It had me enter my weight, goal weight, and birthday (as a goal completion date). Soon I got the hang of it and slowly started losing weight. At first I tried to keep my fat intake below 20%, protein around 20%, and carb around 60%. After 5 long months I was down about 15 lbs. I was also super agitated, irritable, not quite approachable... 

Better Way to Start Your Day

If I had to describe the word nutrition in one sentence, it would be "nutrition is the key to life". Literally! If we do not provide our body with nourishment, it will perish. However, there are several levels of nourishment that we can attain. Let's use the USDA Beef grading system terms to define. At the top, we have Prime nutrition where our diet and lifestyle provide us with the necessary macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to thrive in this world. Next down is Choice nutrition where we have to supplement our diet and lifestyle to access all of the necessary macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals to sustain in this world. A step down from that is Select nutrition where we follow a diet and lifestyle to loosely progress towards better nourishment, however we are usually caught in the tangled web of nutrition information available and not sure where to go. Lastly, and I believe this is where most people fall, is the Standard nutrition. People's diet and lifestyle is providing them just enough nourishment to survive, and many have no idea how to access the higher levels of nutrition.

Tilapia with Parsley Pesto and Roasted Peppers

Doing something that you've never done before can be scary. It can be stressful. It can be daunting. Will you be able to do it? How will it turn out? Will people accept it?

But perception is reality, people. Look at it as doing something new. New is exciting. New is enriching. New is fulfilling.

Doesn't sound so bad now, huh?!? If you open your mind to the doors that can be opened by trying something new you will wonder what took you so long to walk that path. Stepping out of your comfort zone is  one of the best ways to grow yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. Check out this article on stress management and how stepping out of your comfort zone is beneficial to your health. Or this journal entry from CrossFit; the second fitness standard explains how constant variation in exercise is beneficial.

How on earth will you know how something will effect you until you try it? Worst case scenario, if it doesn't work out, at least you will know to never do it again. Better case scenario is that you will gain insight on another way to try it. Best case scenario you see the light at the end of the tunnel and you ain't never turning back!