Life – Page 16 – Gastography

Whole30 – Day 4

August 4, 2013December 30, 2014Life, Whole30Leave a Comment

Today was a good day, food-wise. And I learned a bit about being in the wide world.

Breakfast

I wasn’t hungry when I woke up this morning, and then I worked out. Luckily my DH pushed for me to eat before we left the house for the NY Aquarium.

I made a quick and semi-joyless bowl of 1 cup leftover steamed broccoli from last night, 1/2 cup balsamic grilled eggplant, and 2 eggs sautéed in coconut oil.

At the aquarium there were exactly zero things I could eat. Only about a third of the aquarium is open (the rest is recovering from Hurricane Sandy), and all they had was the bare minimum in snacks.

We then walked the Coney Island Boardwalk. Surprisingly, there were four places I could eat – a grill near Nathan’s had a steak on offer (just can’t eat the fries), two places had salads and somewhere else (enclosed! With AC!) had steak and possibly chicken. Nathan’s had a grilled chicken sandwich – which I could do, minus the bread. So … options.

Something to keep in mind for such excursions: slip a little sealable snack container with a nice vinaigrette in my bag, that way I won’t end up eating a joyless dry salad if I’m out and that’s the only option.

Lunch

1 cup mixed fruit + 1 ounce almonds when we got home.

Dinner

My favorite fallback plan: burgers. Grilled up some grass fed patties, and served with balsamic drizzled caramelized shallots and baked sweet potato fries.

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Whole30 – Day 3

August 3, 2013December 30, 2014Life, Whole30Leave a Comment

I feel like today was full of sweet. Fruit and coconut water made for a sugary day.

Breakfast

In an effort to be even more Whole30 compliant, today’s smoothie had no banana. I liked it – tasted more green.

Whole30 lists smoothies as a ‘we rather you didn’t’ food, instead of banning them outright. While I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment for smoothies from a store and fruity smoothies, I would argue that my breakfast smoothie is just fine. My breakfast smoothie contains loads of green veggies and good fats, and keeps me satisfied until lunch much better than a couple of hardboiled eggs does. And I’ve been drinking this smoothie for over 7 months, so my body gets pissy without its morning fatty vitamin shot.

Whole30’s secondary issue with smoothies (that they are a sugar bomb is the primary issue), is that drinking your food sends different messages to the brain than chewing your food, which leads to a delayed ‘full’ reaction. I get this, I do. And thin fruit smoothies definitely fit this bill. My smoothie is thick – it takes some work to get through the straw – and my body is very conscious of what is going into it because of that. Also, the avocado is fatty – and fills me up until lunch at 12:30.

Tl;dr: While not expressly forbidden, Whole30 says smoothies set your body up for ‘cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day’. For most smoothies, I agree. I argue that my smoothie has enough fat & green leafies in it that it does satiate me until lunch – with no crash.

Lunch

We decided to call it an early day and ordered delivery for from somewhere called Tasty Chicken. The menu consists of chicken (fried, grilled and rotisserie), tons of sandwiches, wraps, ribs, a few salads, fried Mac & cheese, and lots of things smothered in BBQ sauce.

In this long, long menu was buried a few Whole30 approved items. I ordered half a rotisserie chicken with an order of steamed broccoli with garlic.

The chicken was so filling I didn’t even go near the broccoli, and I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture.

Dinner

1 cup of mixed ‘nod to the season’ fruit.

Drink

I wanted something with more taste than the 60+ ounces of water I drink daily, so had half a can of 100% coconut water, and man was it sweet.

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Summer On A Plate – Bacon, Tomato & Peach Salad (paleo, Whole30*)

August 3, 2013December 29, 2014Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

I read something enchanting a few weeks ago: grilled bacon. I saw it somewhere, in some recipe header, and the concept lodged in my brain; unwilling to let go.

Grilled bacon, brain said, in the middle of the night. GrilledBacon, it said, in the afternoon. GRILLED BACON, it screamed, while trying to think of what to have for dinner. So I tried grilling bacon. And … ???? It was just like pan-fried bacon, only more burnt. Still fantabulous, mind you, since I happen to *like* bacon that’s been on fire – but not the best use of my bacony buck. Maybe I should have read the recipe afterall.

Summer On A Plate – Bacon, Tomato & Peach Salad (paleo, Whole30*)

2 strips bacon (check your source for Whole30!)
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 Saturn peach (or any variety, I just so happen to be addicted to the Saturn variety from Trader Joe’s)
3 leaves basil
Citrus salt
Balsamic vinegar (the best quality, thickest you can find)

Crisp your bacon however you see fit, drain on paper towels and chop. Chiffonade the basil, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, and the peaches in thin slices. Combine all and drizzle with balsamic. Finish off with some nice citrus salt.

Serves 1 as a side for dinner or lunch. Easily scaleable to feed more.

*This recipe can be made Whole30 compliant. Bacon isn’t completely verboten, just mostly. According to the Whole30 edict, bacon that is made with no added sugar is clear, which you’re most likely not going to find in the regular grocery store. US Wellness Meats sells Whole30 approved bacon, and your local natural food store, butcher or farmers would be a good place to look as well.

Whole30 – Day 2

August 2, 2013December 30, 2014Life, Whole30Leave a Comment

Breakfast

DH’s green smoothie ftw – made with coconut oil today instead of avocado. Yum.

Lunch

Roasted balsamic eggplant with sauteed zucchini and shallots in coconut oil + 2 eggs fried in coconut oil

Dinner

Friday ‘date night’. Went out to Thistle Hill Tavern and had a 16 ounce pork chop with onions + half an order of deviled eggs, which I’m hoping were compliant. And unsweetened tea to drink.

Snack

1/2 cup mixed fresh fruit – pineapple, melon, grapes, strawberries

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Whole30 – Day 1

August 1, 2013December 30, 2014Life, Whole30Leave a Comment

Day 1 of this Whole30 business was pretty easy. I’ve been prepping myself for this crazypants excursion for a solid month now (getting mentally ready by saying ‘goodbye for now’ to alcohol, non-dairy ice cream and rooster sauce) so today wasn’t too rough.

Breakfast

My DH’s green smoothie. Luckily, the brand of orange juice we use is 100% juice (not from concentrate with no additives) and the coconut water we use is 100% coconut (no additives).

Lunch

I made a salad of 1.5 cups shredded carrot, 1 sliced scallion, 1 sliced nectarine, 6 cherry tomatoes, 1 Tbsp. diced mint, 1 Tbsp. diced cilantro, 1 small breast leftover Baked Mustard Lime Chicken + a quick dressing made from some of the chicken sauce and 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil.

Snack

Had a 100 calorie pack of plain almonds by Emerald.

Dinner

Made a simple sautee of sea beans in coconut oil, garlic & shallots and baked some boneless skinless chicken thighs with more coconut oil, garlic and shallots. A simple meal, but a good one.

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Whole30 Challenge Or, This Crazybananas Thing I’m Doing

August 1, 2013December 30, 2014Life, Whole30Leave a Comment

I’ve decided to monkey with my food habits again. Apparently, I’m some sort of food masochist because I’ve agreed to partake in a Whole30 Challenge with one of my best friends: the lovely and talented mind behind Emery’s Attic and the not-updated-nearly-enough *insert side eye here* OneWomanManyHats (to be fair, she has updated twice in the last month). She’s a warrior, a mother, one crafty b*tch, and has been my go-to for food-related questions/discovery/commiseration since we were teens. In short, she rocks. Let’s see if I still like her after this sojourn into depravation during peak corn-on-the-cob/beer/ice cream season. I know she’s giving me ‘mom eye’ right now, so I’ll quit whining. For now. (but I want wine)

During this month of crazybananas, I’ll be updating the blog more frequently with snaps of, and mini-recipes for, the things I’m eating (for my Nerd Fitness guild/challenge mates, I’ll be posting metrics on my thread as well to help those of you still on the Whole30 fence to hop down and join the fun).

What Is Whole30?

Whole30 is a month-long hard reset for the body. Kind of like paleo on steriods. No sugar (even honey or stevia), grains, dairy or legumes. Just whole, natural foods – like meats, veggies and fruits. Nothing in a package. No soy (mental note: find coconut aminos; Braggs isn’t going to cut it this month). Amend fish sauce buying to conform.

This program is designed to break the back of sugar and carb cravings and give your body a balanced place from which to build healthy habits. It seeks to reset your metabolism, knock out systemic inflammation (that you may not even know you have) and zero out other gut health issues. Have random stomach pain like me? This may help balance that. Irregular? IBS? Feel like crap all the time? Can’t lose weight? Well .. this crazybananas plan might work.

My favorite part of the plan, aside from the reset, is the tough love. This is not hard – not like quitting heroin or beating cancer. Don’t even think about slipping – what you put into your mouth is always a choice. You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to eat – learn to stick up for yourself, peer pressure is for elementary school students. This will take effort but you will be better for it – especially if you’re a first-timer to cutting out grains and legumes. But … you can do this.

You know what? They’re right. In the grand scheme of things, 30 days is a small amount of time to deal with a little inconvenience. Unless there are roving bands of rapist donuts in your neighborhood; then maybe stay inside and eat what you’re supposed to anyways.

The Weekly Dozen – Week 1

July 29, 2013August 14, 2013Life2 Comments

So I’m a bit (2 weeks) late to the ‘Weekly Dozen’ challenge. The gist is to share your 12 favorite pics per week – in an effort to make one more mindful about taking and using the camera daily.

This first week ended up with the not-at-all-surprising weekend rush to accumulate 12 ‘good’ shots.

aaa — Kind of an inside joke between a friend from high school and I. *PoKe* *pOkE* *poKe* *pokE*

Surprise Friday night street fair complete with classic cars

Stumbled upon a great little Polish market/butcher/beer store … and they had my DH’s favorite brew. Win.

Entry 9999999 in my continuing quest to seek out all the best street art

Saturday brunch street art in Cobble Hill

Argo Tea’s ceiling – Saturday night book club

Sunday Bronx Zoo ftw – the tigers were out and playful

Look up ‘chill’ in the dictionary and this gorilla’s pic is right alongside the entry

Friday night advertising for Brooklyn Industries

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (paleo)

July 27, 2013October 24, 2013Life, Recipes3 Comments

I saw the inspiration for this recipe somewhere along my merry food blogger wanderings, though I can’t for the life of me remember where. I read the title, moved on, meant to come back to it, and completely forgot. But somehow the title stuck with me – it was something about cauliflower steaks – and a hankering was born.

My version combines the nuttiness of roast cauliflower with the sweet depth of tahini and a sharp tang from Asiago. Capers would be fantastic here, as would any sort of nice nutty spice blend (za’atar would be dynamite). I served alongside a simple steak, though I could easily see this dish turned into a grilling affair.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (paleo)

1 head cauliflower
Coconut oil
Sea salt and black pepper
1-2 tsp. tahini
A sprinkle of fresh asiago or parmesan cheese – omit if you are cutting dairy

Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut your cauliflower into 1/2 inch thick steaks – leaving the stem on for cutting helps. I had a medium head and ended up with 3 steaks + a bunch of florets.

Lay your steaks on the prepared baking sheet and brush with coconut oil. You might want to pour the oil into a separate dish to dip into or you just may end up with a little relative density of cauliflower vs coconut oil science project. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Broil 25 minutes, or until the steaks are browned and smell nutty – make sure to flip halfway through to avoid burning.

When the steaks are browned, brush with tahini and sprinkle with parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted.

Serves 2 as a side with enough florets leftover for a nice lunch.

Thai-Inspired Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir-Fry (paleo)

July 20, 2013October 24, 2013Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

This dish was inspired by the best plate of brussels sprouts I’ve ever eaten. One of my DH and my favorite restaurants right now is Talde, an Asian/American mashup restaurant and bar helmed by the incredibly lovely and gracious in person Dale Talde (of quick-tempered Top Chef fame). Sadly, Talde is an only occasional treat as pretty much nothing I love best is ever paleo. Bacon & egg ramen with buttered toast broth, people. Pretzel pork & chive dumplings. Pad thai with fried oysters. Korean fried chicken. Seriously delicious stuff here. Talde had a brussels side one night that was fantastic. Stellar, even. Unforgettable.

This recipe is no way even remotely close to that flavor bomb, but it’s pretty darn good in its own right. Deeply flavored, intense in a good way; this makes a very satisfying weeknight meal for two. And, since it’s not a huge dish, it won’t break the gut bank, either.

Thai-Inspired Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir-Fry (paleo)

3 cloves garlic
Tiny white onion – ping pong ball sized (or 3 Tbsp. finely diced)
1/2 inch ginger
Sesame oil
10 ounce shaved brussels sprouts (be forewarned: if you buy your brussels pre-shaved, they may be a bit bitter after cooking – that doesn’t bother me, but if it does you, shred your own – making sure to remove the core – with a food processor or box grater)
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos (coconut aminos)
1 tsp. Chili garlic sauce (I use the brand with the chicken – like sriracha)
Lime juice would be stellar but I didn’t have any on hand

Mince the garlic, onion and ginger. Bring 2 tsp. sesame oil up to temperature in a wok or large skillet set over medium-high. Add the aromatics and stir until fragrant, about a minute or two.

Add the brussels and stir-fry until wilted and beginning to brown. While that is working, de-fat your chicken and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Add the chicken with an additional 2 tsp. sesame oil. Stir-fry. When the chicken goes opaque, add the sesame seeds and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add the fish sauce, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce. Some lime would be fantastic here as well. Let go an additional 2 or so minutes, or until the sauce has mostly evaporated and everything looks and smells intoxicating.

Serves 2 for dinner.

1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

July 13, 2013October 24, 2013Life, Recipes2 Comments

Oh, wow. I cannot believe I’ve ignored you guys like this. This recipe for banana ‘ice cream’ is really tasty, dead simple to make, whips up quick, and lasts in the freezer for as long as you need it to. It’s cheap, too, averaging however much bananas cost where you live per serving. And it’s paleo. Have I mentioned it’s also good? And filling? And healthy? And lactose free? What are you waiting for?! Ice cream waits for no man!

A good friend of mine recently made the jump to paleo (ok, it was a few months ago now) and I realized I hadn’t posted a recipe for this yet for you guys. This ‘ice cream’ is fantastic. I made it pretty much all summer last year and ended up almost living on it when the days got so hot I didn’t want to move, let alone put anything in my mouth that wasn’t freezing.

Also? It’s toddler-approved. My girl has a munchkin who loves bananas – and this dessert. It’s making its way into heavy rotation at her house as a summertime treat to combat her little guy’s first summer dealing with crazy heat.

This ice cream is surprisingly creamy for having a single ingredient and has a light banana taste when made with no add-ins. I always add almond butter because I absolutely love it and usually honey and a generous pinch of flaky salt as well. If paleo marshmallow fluff existed, that would go in as well. Ooooh. Steve’s Original Paleo Krunch (or some other grainless granola) would be fantastic here. Cocoa nibs if you’re so inclined.

1-Ingredient Paleo Ice Cream

1 banana per serving

Add-ins: I usually use 1 Tbsp. almond butter + 1 tsp. honey + a big pinch of flaky salt per serving

Peel your banana, break into large pieces, and freeze at least an hour to overnight before starting.

Put your banana + any add-ins into your blender. Blend until it looks like soft-serve. At this point, your ice cream is entirely edible – but if you stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours, you will be rewarded with a rich, dense ice cream that is so satisfying you’ll never miss the dairy – or other ingredients.

Serves however many you want it to.

A note about blending: Don’t overload your blender. Just … don’t. Even if you have a Vitamix. Your blender doesn’t want to handle 9 bananas at once and you’ll have to dig out frozen and welded-together clumps of fruit before doing the right thing and blending 2 bananas at a time max. Just be patient and wait for the first bananas to do their thing before adding more. Of course this comes from experience. Experience and my wonderful, supportive DH giving a much-deserved ‘I told you so.’

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