Alright alright. Half way done with this. I feel like its getting easier. However, truth is, I've been very tired during this whole thing. I read on Mark's Daily Apple about a "low carb flu', where you feel sluggish and then one day you have a bunch of energy and feel great. I'm waiting for that. In addition to the "flu", I got the fever a lot of people at LAX Crossfit got. Starting feeling bad on Thursday. On Friday I had a high fever. I got home and crashed on the couch at 9:00. Got into bed at some point and didn't wake up until 9:00am. 12 hours of sleep. It totally knocked me out. But I really needed it. Felt much better Saturday and then pretty good Sunday. Just a lingering cough.
Sunday was cooking day once again. I made the same things from week two essentially. The Jambalaya and the Mexican Chicken Soup. This time I didn't want to mess up the chicken for the soup again, so I threw it in the slow cooker. I also added like 3 pounds of carrots and Italian Squash. It's more of a vegetable soup with chicken, which is totally legit. Also, spaghetti squash.
Today (Monday), I made more Turkey/Veggie Marinara. And I'm about to make some Beef Rendang. I have a lot of food in the fridge and freezer.
One of the things I really miss, is pho. As soon as this is over, I'm going to have a big bowl of pho and a gin & tonic. I especially was craving it this week since I was sick. While things were in the slow cooker, a couple friends were at La Cabana for dinner. I decided to swing by but eat across the street at Whole Foods and hang with them while they're having drinks. I never been to the Venice Whole Foods, it's the one they shot Whole Foods Parking Lot in. It's always crowded. I was grabbing some veggies, and then I noticed they didn't have a Mexican section. At the El Segundo Whole Foods, the Mexican meats are the only Posher meats. As soon as I made that disappointing realization, I noticed: The Pho Bar. Holllaaaaahhhh!!! Someone's getting some karma pay back!!! Until, I read the ingredients on the beef broth. Who the hell puts sugar in pho? Fuck you Whole Foods! You give me much hope just to crush me. Right next to it was the Vegan pho broth. A total oxymoron, but it was Posher. I took a chance. Paid. Got to the table. Excited. I've been wanting this for a while. I tried it. FUCK YOU WHOLE FOODS!!! That was the seriously the most disgusting thing I had in memory, and my friends got me to eat congealed pig's blood in Thailand. It was like Whole Foods took a corn filled dump in my mouth. It was like Whole Foods took all the rat feces in a Hoarder's infested house, pressed it into a fine paste, and coated it all over my tongue. It was like Whole Foods converted the George W. Bush presidency into a flavor, and used it to burn years off of my taste buds.
Whole Foods is kind of like an abusive relationship. It treats it employees as bad as Wal Mart, rips me off, and doesn't really taste that good. But I keep coming back. Who else has Kale and such a variety of veggies cut up and ready to eat? Dammit Whole Foods. I hate you, but I need things from you. And you're full of beautiful women. Dammit.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Day 23: I Need Some Curry.
I need some curry. I'm getting tired of all this white people food. BBQ beef, marinara, scrambled eggs, kale. I need some curry. Doesn't matter what kind. Indian, Japanese, Thai, Indonesian, doesn't matter. I seriously ate curry 5-6 times a week. Before this challenge, my veins were pumping more curry than blood.
I know, I know, I've been cooking a lot and probably can make my own, but really good curry takes thousands of ingredients. I don't want buy Anise! I don't even know what that is.
I obviously looked for curry paste. But of course all of the ones I looked at had an ingredient that wasn't Posher. Indian curries had dairy. Thai had soy. Japanese had wheat flour and delicious MSG. Indonesian, well, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and the big chain markets don't have Indonesian curry paste.
Luckily I live right by one of the most tastiest Indonesian restaurant/market, Simpang Asia. I've mentioned them before on this blog. I love that place. I believe I alone am responsible for their success and expansion to the neighboring suite. I decided to check out their selection. I've always walked the aisles of their market while waiting for my take-out, but never really bought much. They had dozens of curry pastes, not just Indonesian, from several brands.
But again, always an non-Palal ingredient. (I'm using Palal instead of Posher in this case, since Indonesia is a Muslim country and they're Halal). I found a brand called Bamboe that looked really promising.... Until I saw "vegetable oil". Bloody damn hell piss! So close. Just one ingredient from Palality.
But wait. This is made in Indonesia. I doubt vegetable oil in Indonesia is made from corn like the good ol' USA. I quickly turned to the Internet. YYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Vegetable oil in Indonesia is palm oil or coconut oil. SSSSCCCCOOOOOORRRRREEEEEE!!!! CCUUUURRRRRYYYYYYY!!!!
I bought three varieties. I can't wait to put curry in my mouth. In fact, I'm going to make one right now.
Update: Note to self on how I cooked the Kare packets: I just wanted to throw it in the slow cooker. Basically doubled everything. 2 packets. Entire can of coconut milk and 800 ml of water (not doubled). Came out great!! Use excess curry to stir fry with kale (use some chicken shreds too).
I know, I know, I've been cooking a lot and probably can make my own, but really good curry takes thousands of ingredients. I don't want buy Anise! I don't even know what that is.
I obviously looked for curry paste. But of course all of the ones I looked at had an ingredient that wasn't Posher. Indian curries had dairy. Thai had soy. Japanese had wheat flour and delicious MSG. Indonesian, well, Trader Joes, Sprouts, and the big chain markets don't have Indonesian curry paste.
Luckily I live right by one of the most tastiest Indonesian restaurant/market, Simpang Asia. I've mentioned them before on this blog. I love that place. I believe I alone am responsible for their success and expansion to the neighboring suite. I decided to check out their selection. I've always walked the aisles of their market while waiting for my take-out, but never really bought much. They had dozens of curry pastes, not just Indonesian, from several brands.
But again, always an non-Palal ingredient. (I'm using Palal instead of Posher in this case, since Indonesia is a Muslim country and they're Halal). I found a brand called Bamboe that looked really promising.... Until I saw "vegetable oil". Bloody damn hell piss! So close. Just one ingredient from Palality.
But wait. This is made in Indonesia. I doubt vegetable oil in Indonesia is made from corn like the good ol' USA. I quickly turned to the Internet. YYYYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!
Vegetable oil in Indonesia is palm oil or coconut oil. SSSSCCCCOOOOOORRRRREEEEEE!!!! CCUUUURRRRRYYYYYYY!!!!
I bought three varieties. I can't wait to put curry in my mouth. In fact, I'm going to make one right now.
Update: Note to self on how I cooked the Kare packets: I just wanted to throw it in the slow cooker. Basically doubled everything. 2 packets. Entire can of coconut milk and 800 ml of water (not doubled). Came out great!! Use excess curry to stir fry with kale (use some chicken shreds too).
Day 21: Cooking day!
This week menu includes:
1. The left overs from last week since I couldn't eat it for lunch.
2. More Turkey/Veggie Marinara
3. Spaghetti Squash! Cook in the oven following a friend's directions that were confirmed by: http://startcooking.com/blog/523/Spaghetti-Squash
I cooked at 375 for 35 minutes.
4. Chili. Following these directions. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooked-chili/ Of course without the 32oz of kidney beans. Instead, I used a pound of Italian Squash and a pound of carrots.
I have a lot of food.
1. The left overs from last week since I couldn't eat it for lunch.
2. More Turkey/Veggie Marinara
3. Spaghetti Squash! Cook in the oven following a friend's directions that were confirmed by: http://startcooking.com/blog/523/Spaghetti-Squash
I cooked at 375 for 35 minutes.
4. Chili. Following these directions. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooked-chili/ Of course without the 32oz of kidney beans. Instead, I used a pound of Italian Squash and a pound of carrots.
I have a lot of food.
Day 16 - 19: Jury Duty!
I got selected for Jury Duty. At first I thought it was going to be a huge pain, but it was only four days. However, the court house didn't have a microwave, so I couldn't eat anything that I had prepared. I simply ate Whole Foods every day for lunch. It was pretty nice. Get there at 9:00am, hour and half lunch, done at 4:30. Most conveniently, the court house is right across the street from LAX Crossfit. Very easy to get to to the 5:00 WOD. Pretty nice to have the free time.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day 14: Sunday
Woke up this morning and had some Doro Wat. A little disappointed, but not awful. I knew I wasn't going to get restaurant quality, but I thought I'd get closer.
I then threw the beef into the slow cooker. It had been marinating with the spices for about 20 hours. It'll be ready to shred at 9:00. Then another hour with the BBQ Sauce.
My cheat day was yesterday. And by cheat, I mean I didn't make myself eat kale. However I needed to eat some today. Sautéed them and sprinkled a bit of basil and Cajun seasoning. It came out a little salty.
Next meal, I threw the chicken wings in the oven. (45 mins at 375). They had been marinating for nearly 24 hours. I ate about 12-13. Divided the rest into two servings of 10 and froze them. They came out pretty good! Needs to be spicier next time, but the lime flavor came through. Although, a bit heavy. Honestly, I've never really been a huge fan of chicken skin, but I ate them all because it's recommended to get animal fats on Paleo. It made me feel a little sluggish, like when you eat a heavy/fatty meal. Next time I'll take the skin off and eat them my way. Also, note to self: Take all the pieces of pepper off the chicken before putting them in the oven. They just burn into a piece at char, and you have to pick them off before you eat them.
I timed it so the wings would be ready for the 4th quarter of the Packers/Giants game. I had to turn it off. Eli Manning is still a whiny, entitled, arrogant dick. Go San Diego!
---------------------------
Alright. Pulled Beef is done. The beef by itself came out excellent. It was absolutely delicious. It was so tender that there was barely any effort needed to shred it. Unfortunately the sauce didn't come out as great as I remember. Way too much vinegar. I'll have to cut that down by a lot next time. Even though it's not as awesome as I hoped, I'll be eating it. I did make 4lbs of it.
My roommate says that sauce is necessary. Otherwise when you microwave the pulled beef, it'll be way too dry. Too bad, because it was delicious by itself.
I then threw the beef into the slow cooker. It had been marinating with the spices for about 20 hours. It'll be ready to shred at 9:00. Then another hour with the BBQ Sauce.
My cheat day was yesterday. And by cheat, I mean I didn't make myself eat kale. However I needed to eat some today. Sautéed them and sprinkled a bit of basil and Cajun seasoning. It came out a little salty.
Next meal, I threw the chicken wings in the oven. (45 mins at 375). They had been marinating for nearly 24 hours. I ate about 12-13. Divided the rest into two servings of 10 and froze them. They came out pretty good! Needs to be spicier next time, but the lime flavor came through. Although, a bit heavy. Honestly, I've never really been a huge fan of chicken skin, but I ate them all because it's recommended to get animal fats on Paleo. It made me feel a little sluggish, like when you eat a heavy/fatty meal. Next time I'll take the skin off and eat them my way. Also, note to self: Take all the pieces of pepper off the chicken before putting them in the oven. They just burn into a piece at char, and you have to pick them off before you eat them.
I timed it so the wings would be ready for the 4th quarter of the Packers/Giants game. I had to turn it off. Eli Manning is still a whiny, entitled, arrogant dick. Go San Diego!
---------------------------
Alright. Pulled Beef is done. The beef by itself came out excellent. It was absolutely delicious. It was so tender that there was barely any effort needed to shred it. Unfortunately the sauce didn't come out as great as I remember. Way too much vinegar. I'll have to cut that down by a lot next time. Even though it's not as awesome as I hoped, I'll be eating it. I did make 4lbs of it.
My roommate says that sauce is necessary. Otherwise when you microwave the pulled beef, it'll be way too dry. Too bad, because it was delicious by itself.
Day 13: Saturday
I spent $106 at Sprouts today. Lots of meat. Chicken was on sale so I bought a bunch and froze it.
I'm attempting to make three things:
Doro Wat (Doro Whaaaat???, no Doro Wat!):
My roommate and I just discovered a great Ethiopian place in Inglewood (http://www.yelp.com/biz/fresh-ethiopian-restaurant-inglewood). I'm a bit sad I can't go there again until this challenge is done. So I decided to try to make it at home. Of course without the Yogurt.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/10/ethiopian-chicken-stew-doro-wat-slow.html
Chili-Lime Wings:
It's football playoffs. I'm inevitably going to be with people eating wings, and I will break. By making these wings, I'm hoping I will last a little longer. I might have to avoid the Superbowl, or at least be lame and bring my own food to wherever I go. I went with Chili-Lime, because just before the challenge, I went to Hot's Kitchen in Hermosa for the the first time, and their Chili-Lime wings were excellent. They've been on my mind since I had them. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/hots-kitchen-hermosa-beach). Of course, without the sugar and soy sauce.
http://bbq.about.com/od/chickenrecipes/r/blb30926i.htm
Pulled Beef:
Yes, the one Garrett made for the first LAX Crossfit Paleo Potluck. No cutting out ingredients on this one:
http://laxcrossfit.com/2011/09/08/pulled-porkbeef/
------------------------------------
Ok, so my adventure at Sprouts:
I spent a long time at Sprouts. Going back and forth. At least an hour. I even went back to one section and the stock boy, a high school kid, asked, "You're still here?" "Yeah, I'm learning how to cook, and I don't know how to shop."
I really wanted to find a BBQ Sauce without sugar, so I don't have to make the Son of Grok Zesty BBQ Zauce from the Pulled Beef recipe. But no. All the sauces at Whole Foods and Sprouts had either sugar or molasses in them. I got excited once, there was a bottle labeled All Natural and Sugar-Free. However it had bunch of science-y sounding words in the ingredients. Cellulose Gel, Xanthan Gum, and Sucralose Potassium Sorbate (which is splenda). I got the internet out of my pocket and looked up what these were. Yes, all these are derived from plants, but I wouldn't call them "Natural". These must fall into the same FDA loophole which allows manufacturers to call High Fructose Corn Syrup natural. Weak. So I guess I have to make my own BBQ Sauce. Another trip around the store to get more ingredients.
------------------------------------
The next few hours I prepared the beef and wings and set them in the fridge to marinate.
Notes:
Pulled Beef: Didn't have white pepper, so doubled amount of black pepper. I got a Top Sirloin Roast.
Chili-Lime Wings: I got Pasilla peppers. They didn't seem that spicy, so I threw in all the seeds. That is, the ones that didnt fall all over the floor as the cut them.
I didn't have Lemon Pepper, so I put in lemon juice and black pepper.
My hands were hurting juicing limes. I got 10 limes, and it took every last drop to get to a cup of lime juice.
------------------------------------
Saturday night was chill. We just hung out at a friend's place paint eggs. 3 dudes and 1 girl in their 30s, painting eggs. Don't ask (There needs to be a hand-wave/head-shake emoticon). I got home early and threw all the Doro Wat ingredients in the slow cooker, so it'd be ready in the morning.
I'm attempting to make three things:
Doro Wat (Doro Whaaaat???, no Doro Wat!):
My roommate and I just discovered a great Ethiopian place in Inglewood (http://www.yelp.com/biz/fresh-ethiopian-restaurant-inglewood). I'm a bit sad I can't go there again until this challenge is done. So I decided to try to make it at home. Of course without the Yogurt.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2010/10/ethiopian-chicken-stew-doro-wat-slow.html
Chili-Lime Wings:
It's football playoffs. I'm inevitably going to be with people eating wings, and I will break. By making these wings, I'm hoping I will last a little longer. I might have to avoid the Superbowl, or at least be lame and bring my own food to wherever I go. I went with Chili-Lime, because just before the challenge, I went to Hot's Kitchen in Hermosa for the the first time, and their Chili-Lime wings were excellent. They've been on my mind since I had them. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/hots-kitchen-hermosa-beach). Of course, without the sugar and soy sauce.
http://bbq.about.com/od/chickenrecipes/r/blb30926i.htm
Pulled Beef:
Yes, the one Garrett made for the first LAX Crossfit Paleo Potluck. No cutting out ingredients on this one:
http://laxcrossfit.com/2011/09/08/pulled-porkbeef/
------------------------------------
Ok, so my adventure at Sprouts:
I spent a long time at Sprouts. Going back and forth. At least an hour. I even went back to one section and the stock boy, a high school kid, asked, "You're still here?" "Yeah, I'm learning how to cook, and I don't know how to shop."
I really wanted to find a BBQ Sauce without sugar, so I don't have to make the Son of Grok Zesty BBQ Zauce from the Pulled Beef recipe. But no. All the sauces at Whole Foods and Sprouts had either sugar or molasses in them. I got excited once, there was a bottle labeled All Natural and Sugar-Free. However it had bunch of science-y sounding words in the ingredients. Cellulose Gel, Xanthan Gum, and Sucralose Potassium Sorbate (which is splenda). I got the internet out of my pocket and looked up what these were. Yes, all these are derived from plants, but I wouldn't call them "Natural". These must fall into the same FDA loophole which allows manufacturers to call High Fructose Corn Syrup natural. Weak. So I guess I have to make my own BBQ Sauce. Another trip around the store to get more ingredients.
------------------------------------
The next few hours I prepared the beef and wings and set them in the fridge to marinate.
Notes:
Pulled Beef: Didn't have white pepper, so doubled amount of black pepper. I got a Top Sirloin Roast.
Chili-Lime Wings: I got Pasilla peppers. They didn't seem that spicy, so I threw in all the seeds. That is, the ones that didnt fall all over the floor as the cut them.
I didn't have Lemon Pepper, so I put in lemon juice and black pepper.
My hands were hurting juicing limes. I got 10 limes, and it took every last drop to get to a cup of lime juice.
------------------------------------
Saturday night was chill. We just hung out at a friend's place paint eggs. 3 dudes and 1 girl in their 30s, painting eggs. Don't ask (There needs to be a hand-wave/head-shake emoticon). I got home early and threw all the Doro Wat ingredients in the slow cooker, so it'd be ready in the morning.
Day 9-12
Tuesday-Friday. Went pretty easy since I had everything pre-cooked. At one lunch I walked to NG Court to get some more veggies from their salad bar. I'll probably do that more often.
Thursday was a little tough. I have class right after work, and I forgot to bring dinner. I had two apples and handful of nuts to tie me over.
Friday, I was doing the DD thing again, but this time to a bar I like, Villian's Tavern in Downtown. Since we were meeting in El Segundo, I had Whole Foods for dinner before driving everyone. The urge to drink wasn't as bad, since we were chilling outside.
All week I was searching for recipes. I really really miss Asian food. Thai, Indonesian (I'm sure Simpang Asia (http://www.yelp.com/biz/simpang-asia-los-angeles) is worried about me. I go all the time, I haven't been in 2 weeks!), curries, Pho, Soba, or any other noodles. The problem is that they all have soy! I know I can make noodles with Spaghetti squash, but I'd just be slaving away in the kitchen preparing disappointment.
Thursday was a little tough. I have class right after work, and I forgot to bring dinner. I had two apples and handful of nuts to tie me over.
Friday, I was doing the DD thing again, but this time to a bar I like, Villian's Tavern in Downtown. Since we were meeting in El Segundo, I had Whole Foods for dinner before driving everyone. The urge to drink wasn't as bad, since we were chilling outside.
All week I was searching for recipes. I really really miss Asian food. Thai, Indonesian (I'm sure Simpang Asia (http://www.yelp.com/biz/simpang-asia-los-angeles) is worried about me. I go all the time, I haven't been in 2 weeks!), curries, Pho, Soba, or any other noodles. The problem is that they all have soy! I know I can make noodles with Spaghetti squash, but I'd just be slaving away in the kitchen preparing disappointment.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Day 8: Monday, Monday.
Breakfast: Mexican Chicken Soup
Lunch: Jambalaya
Snack: Handful of raw mixed nuts after doing Fran. Second time, so I used the same scale as before. Only beat my time by 8 seconds. Booooo. But I'm still recovering from the holidays. Not as good as shape I was in last time I did it. Next time, I have to RX it, which means I really need to work on kipping pull-ups.
Dinner: I need to eat some Kale, but I didn't want the awfulness to interfere with the Mexican Chicken Soup. The sauce I used to saute it in (Trader Joe's Masala Sauce) is not Posher because it contains milk. So I heated a cube of garlic and threw on a bunch of Trader Joes 21 Spice Salute. Or whatever it's called. Not as good as covering it in sauce, but manageable. Also had some more Mexican Chicken Soup.
Lunch: Jambalaya
Snack: Handful of raw mixed nuts after doing Fran. Second time, so I used the same scale as before. Only beat my time by 8 seconds. Booooo. But I'm still recovering from the holidays. Not as good as shape I was in last time I did it. Next time, I have to RX it, which means I really need to work on kipping pull-ups.
Dinner: I need to eat some Kale, but I didn't want the awfulness to interfere with the Mexican Chicken Soup. The sauce I used to saute it in (Trader Joe's Masala Sauce) is not Posher because it contains milk. So I heated a cube of garlic and threw on a bunch of Trader Joes 21 Spice Salute. Or whatever it's called. Not as good as covering it in sauce, but manageable. Also had some more Mexican Chicken Soup.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Day 6 & 7: Weekend!
Saturday:
Chicken/Salsa crock pot thing.
Team WOD & box jump from Paradiso. Box jumps, double unders (singles for me), kettle bell swings, overhead squats.
Steak & Eggs with veggies (instead of potatoes) at Marmalade Cafe with some of the LAX Crossfit crew. We didn't have mimosas, so we didn't end up doing pull-ups on the tree branch.
Hanging out with friends who day drinking brings up a challenge. Especially at Hacienda. None of the food is Palal at all. I had to bail and go to Bristol Farms for dinner. I got a pre-cooked (with all Posher ingredients of course) chicken breast and carrots. I didn't really feel like eating any other veggie raw.
After that, I picked up my friends and drove them to the bars. I was their DD for the night. Let's just say, if I do that again, it's going to be at a bar that I actually like.
Sunday:
Usual eggs, bell pepper, onion, avocado, salsa breakfast.
Cooked for a loooooooong time. Made Jambalaya:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/colleens-slow-cooker-jambalaya/
Andouille sausages are not Palal, so I doubled the chicken.
Also made this:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-chicken-soup/
A bunch of modifications. Added bell peppers, left over carrots from last night, squash. More chicken broth and water to compensate. Yes, the taco seasoning packet was Palal.
I really messed up the first batch of chicken. I had it cut up (since I cut up the entire package when I was cutting chicken for the Jambalaya), and it over cooked in the oven. So it was really dry. I thought I really messed up, but I tried the soup, and it was great. So I defrosted some more chicken in the microwave and tried again. This time I forgot to sprinkle seasoning on top of it, so it wasn't very flavorful out of the oven. I shredded it, and added it to the soup, a lot with some more taco season and a bunch more water. Now I had a soup with shredded chicken and cubes of dry chicken.
I should have enough food for the week. Again, not much variety, but Purely Palal.
Chicken/Salsa crock pot thing.
Team WOD & box jump from Paradiso. Box jumps, double unders (singles for me), kettle bell swings, overhead squats.
Steak & Eggs with veggies (instead of potatoes) at Marmalade Cafe with some of the LAX Crossfit crew. We didn't have mimosas, so we didn't end up doing pull-ups on the tree branch.
Hanging out with friends who day drinking brings up a challenge. Especially at Hacienda. None of the food is Palal at all. I had to bail and go to Bristol Farms for dinner. I got a pre-cooked (with all Posher ingredients of course) chicken breast and carrots. I didn't really feel like eating any other veggie raw.
After that, I picked up my friends and drove them to the bars. I was their DD for the night. Let's just say, if I do that again, it's going to be at a bar that I actually like.
Sunday:
Usual eggs, bell pepper, onion, avocado, salsa breakfast.
Cooked for a loooooooong time. Made Jambalaya:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/colleens-slow-cooker-jambalaya/
Andouille sausages are not Palal, so I doubled the chicken.
Also made this:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-chicken-soup/
A bunch of modifications. Added bell peppers, left over carrots from last night, squash. More chicken broth and water to compensate. Yes, the taco seasoning packet was Palal.
I really messed up the first batch of chicken. I had it cut up (since I cut up the entire package when I was cutting chicken for the Jambalaya), and it over cooked in the oven. So it was really dry. I thought I really messed up, but I tried the soup, and it was great. So I defrosted some more chicken in the microwave and tried again. This time I forgot to sprinkle seasoning on top of it, so it wasn't very flavorful out of the oven. I shredded it, and added it to the soup, a lot with some more taco season and a bunch more water. Now I had a soup with shredded chicken and cubes of dry chicken.
I should have enough food for the week. Again, not much variety, but Purely Palal.
 | |
| So good! Of course I didn't eat the green beans. |
 |
| What I scavenged from Bristol Farms. |
 | |
| Palal taco seasoning. |
Friday, January 6, 2012
Day 4 & 5: First Busy Thursday and Non-Drinking Friday Night
Thursday:
Breakfast: Eggs, bell pepper, onions, avocado, salsa again.
During this 8 week challenge, I'm also taking a class in Hollywood on Thursday at 7:00-10:00pm, and it takes over an hour to get there from El Segundo. So I have to leave work at 5:45. This schedule isn't very kind for regular eating.
Lunch was Turkey/Veggie Marinara on Kale. Ate again around 5:30, a Brian's Bowl Thai Chicken. Had a banana during the class break.
Came home and threw chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, onions, and salsa into a crock pot for tomorrow.
Friday:
Had the above crock pot contraption for breakfast. Lunch was Turkey/Veggie Marinara on Kale. I totally copied/pasted that previous sentence from above. 20 Almonds for a snack. And then had the crock pot contraption again for dinner. On a plate of kale this time.
Variety? Not at all. Buuuuuuut, I finally got some spices!! They were on sale at Sprouts, so I bought them all. Plus I also got ingredients for Jambalaya and a Mexican Soup so I'll have those to look forward too.
Tonight. First Friday night of the challenge. I'm about at see what it's like to go bar hopping with friends without drinking.
Breakfast: Eggs, bell pepper, onions, avocado, salsa again.
During this 8 week challenge, I'm also taking a class in Hollywood on Thursday at 7:00-10:00pm, and it takes over an hour to get there from El Segundo. So I have to leave work at 5:45. This schedule isn't very kind for regular eating.
Lunch was Turkey/Veggie Marinara on Kale. Ate again around 5:30, a Brian's Bowl Thai Chicken. Had a banana during the class break.
Came home and threw chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper, onions, and salsa into a crock pot for tomorrow.
Friday:
Had the above crock pot contraption for breakfast. Lunch was Turkey/Veggie Marinara on Kale. I totally copied/pasted that previous sentence from above. 20 Almonds for a snack. And then had the crock pot contraption again for dinner. On a plate of kale this time.
Variety? Not at all. Buuuuuuut, I finally got some spices!! They were on sale at Sprouts, so I bought them all. Plus I also got ingredients for Jambalaya and a Mexican Soup so I'll have those to look forward too.
Tonight. First Friday night of the challenge. I'm about at see what it's like to go bar hopping with friends without drinking.
 |
| Chicken/Veggie/Salsa Contraption |
 | ||
| SPICES!! And all my wine that I can't have for 8 weeks. Sad face. :( |
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Day 3: Whole Foods Wednesday
I made breakfast today. After *years* of eating Clif bars in my car on the way to work, I woke up early (for me that's like 8:00), and made scrambled eggs with bell pepper, onions, avocados, and salsa. Pretty simple.
I forgot to bring my lunch. Luckily it was Whole Foods Wednesday. I got a pile of kale, zucchini, broccoli (one day I'll be able to spell broccoli without the spell checkers help), and cucumbers. Then I went looking for meat. Once again, EVERYTHING has soy or sugar in it. All but two of the meats in the hot foods section had it, both were in the Mexican section. Beef taco filling and the chicken. I grabbed the beef.
Now, the soy in most of the other meats was in tamari, which is a gluten free soy sauce. A lot of the Paleo recipes I've seen online accept tamari because it's gluten free. Maybe I'm being Panal (Paleo anal), but I'm sticking with the no soy. It's only day 3. Maybe my panal-retentiveness will die down later.
I got a lot of food, so left overs were dinner. I had to work late, so I went for the 7pm WOD (3 Rounds: 36 ring dips, 36 ring rows, 75 air squats.... owww my legs). and then back to work. I left at 11:00pm, so couldn't make it to Sprouts to get ingredients for the Jambalaya I was planning to make. More Turkey/Veggie Marinara tomorrow!
I forgot to bring my lunch. Luckily it was Whole Foods Wednesday. I got a pile of kale, zucchini, broccoli (one day I'll be able to spell broccoli without the spell checkers help), and cucumbers. Then I went looking for meat. Once again, EVERYTHING has soy or sugar in it. All but two of the meats in the hot foods section had it, both were in the Mexican section. Beef taco filling and the chicken. I grabbed the beef.
Now, the soy in most of the other meats was in tamari, which is a gluten free soy sauce. A lot of the Paleo recipes I've seen online accept tamari because it's gluten free. Maybe I'm being Panal (Paleo anal), but I'm sticking with the no soy. It's only day 3. Maybe my panal-retentiveness will die down later.
I got a lot of food, so left overs were dinner. I had to work late, so I went for the 7pm WOD (3 Rounds: 36 ring dips, 36 ring rows, 75 air squats.... owww my legs). and then back to work. I left at 11:00pm, so couldn't make it to Sprouts to get ingredients for the Jambalaya I was planning to make. More Turkey/Veggie Marinara tomorrow!
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| Breakfast. Eventually I'll know how to slice an avocado. |
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| I'm really good at presentation |
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| Proof: Lots of kale. |
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| Left overs for dinner - at my desk at work. Had to stay late. (Nerd Alert! Notice the graphing calculator on my desk. I actually do use it. | ) |
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Day 2: Turkey Marinara Overload
I ate the Turkey/Veggie Marinara that I made yesterday for breakfast and lunch as I planned. Turned out pretty good.
After work I went to Sprouts to pick up the rest of the groceries that Trader Joes and Vons didn't have. I didn't buy any meats because they weren't on sale. It's really cheap when they are on sale. I checked the jarred marinara sauces, and they all do have sugar in them.
Sprouts doesn't have pre-sliced kale, so I want to Trader Joes. Trader Joe's Cage-Free organic ground turkey and eggs are cheaper than Sprouts. Trader Joe's marinara sauces also all have sugar. I went to Vons and picked up 6 jars of the sugarless sauce. That's enough to make 18 meals. (Nerd Alert! 8 weeks * 7 days/week * 3 meals a day = 168 Meals in the challenge. The 6 jars will be used for 10.7% of my meals). Since it's so easy to make, I might end up making more of the stuff.
I went from the guy who always orders take-out, to the guy who goes to three grocery stores in a night. Because of the time spent at stores, and not having meat, I had the Turkey/Veggie Marinara for all three meals. today. Paleo (errrr, I mean Palal) yes. Boring? Not yet, but it's only day one. I got eggs, so I'll make eggs with bell peppers, onions, and avocado for breakfast tomorrow.
People say there's soy in everything. but seriously, THERE'S FUCKING SOY IN EVERYTHING. If not soy, then sugar. Even sliced deli meats from the three stores had either soy or sugar in it.
Another reason I didn't cook anything else, is because my spices were old. I mean severely old. At least 6 years old. I threw them all out today. I will buy them as I find recipes I want to try. I'll probably do the Jambalaya in the crockpot next. Although, Andouille sausages are not palal. According to wikipedia, they have wine in them. Wine of course, is full of sugar. I'll probably make an all chicken version.
Since I don't have the ingredients to make anything else for tomorrow, I made the Turkey/Veggie Marinara again. This time with way more veggies:
1 lbs turkey, 1 lbs carrots, 12oz of broccoli/cauliflower blend. It required 1 1/3 jars of the sauce and made 4 servings. And I didn't burn the garlic this time!
After work I went to Sprouts to pick up the rest of the groceries that Trader Joes and Vons didn't have. I didn't buy any meats because they weren't on sale. It's really cheap when they are on sale. I checked the jarred marinara sauces, and they all do have sugar in them.
Sprouts doesn't have pre-sliced kale, so I want to Trader Joes. Trader Joe's Cage-Free organic ground turkey and eggs are cheaper than Sprouts. Trader Joe's marinara sauces also all have sugar. I went to Vons and picked up 6 jars of the sugarless sauce. That's enough to make 18 meals. (Nerd Alert! 8 weeks * 7 days/week * 3 meals a day = 168 Meals in the challenge. The 6 jars will be used for 10.7% of my meals). Since it's so easy to make, I might end up making more of the stuff.
I went from the guy who always orders take-out, to the guy who goes to three grocery stores in a night. Because of the time spent at stores, and not having meat, I had the Turkey/Veggie Marinara for all three meals. today. Paleo (errrr, I mean Palal) yes. Boring? Not yet, but it's only day one. I got eggs, so I'll make eggs with bell peppers, onions, and avocado for breakfast tomorrow.
People say there's soy in everything. but seriously, THERE'S FUCKING SOY IN EVERYTHING. If not soy, then sugar. Even sliced deli meats from the three stores had either soy or sugar in it.
Another reason I didn't cook anything else, is because my spices were old. I mean severely old. At least 6 years old. I threw them all out today. I will buy them as I find recipes I want to try. I'll probably do the Jambalaya in the crockpot next. Although, Andouille sausages are not palal. According to wikipedia, they have wine in them. Wine of course, is full of sugar. I'll probably make an all chicken version.
Since I don't have the ingredients to make anything else for tomorrow, I made the Turkey/Veggie Marinara again. This time with way more veggies:
1 lbs turkey, 1 lbs carrots, 12oz of broccoli/cauliflower blend. It required 1 1/3 jars of the sauce and made 4 servings. And I didn't burn the garlic this time!
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| I ate this 3 times today. And a banana. It's bananas! B! A.N.A.N.A.S! |
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| I bought pre-chopped onions. Because chopping onions makes me cry. |
Day 1
Unprepared. I had enough for the day, but needed to prep more meals.
Woke up after several days/nights of drinking. Had some of the frozen chicken/salsa crockpot thing that I made a while ago. From this site: http://www.30daysofpaleo.com. Just chicken, veggies, and a jar of salsa.
Went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Really hungry after that. Long movie. On way home, stopped at Trader Joes to pick up food for dinner. It was packed. No food on the shelves. I gave up since they didn't have kale or eggs, and went home and had a Brians Bowl. Jerk Chicken.
Still hungry hour later, so had a can of Trader Joe's tuna that's packed with only water and no salt. Sprinkled on chile con limon seasoning.
Went to see Red Pony Clock and the Bootleg. I really wanted a drink. Big challenge on the first day. Had a bottle of water. Left before Princeton because I had to go to the store to eat tomorrow.
It was late, Whole Foods and Trader Joes were closed, so went to Vons. They had cage free eggs, but didn't say what they were feeding the hens, so pass. Found a jar of marinara sauce without sugar and used sea salt. Surprised me. All the bottled sauces at Sprouts have sugar added.
Made a ground turkey/veggie/marinara contraption.
1 lbs ground turkey
1 jar marinara sauce
1 bag of carrot/broccoli/cauliflower - which I chopped to make bite site pieces.
2 frozen garlic cubes
Olive oil
Heated the pan/olive oil to high and the frozen garlic square got a little burnt. Start at medium next time.
Added veggies. Stir fry until cauliflower was a little brown.
Added turkey. Stir fry until almost all the way cooked.
Added sauce. Turned to hight until it boiled. Reduced to medium. Simmered until all the sauce was almost gone.
Cleaned kitchen a little and chopped a bell pepper which I will use for breakfast after getting eggs.
That was enough to make 3 servings. I put it in left over Brian's Bowls containers.
Tried a bite and it was pretty good. I'll eat it for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, so I'll find out then it turned out alright.
Woke up after several days/nights of drinking. Had some of the frozen chicken/salsa crockpot thing that I made a while ago. From this site: http://www.30daysofpaleo.com. Just chicken, veggies, and a jar of salsa.
Went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Really hungry after that. Long movie. On way home, stopped at Trader Joes to pick up food for dinner. It was packed. No food on the shelves. I gave up since they didn't have kale or eggs, and went home and had a Brians Bowl. Jerk Chicken.
Still hungry hour later, so had a can of Trader Joe's tuna that's packed with only water and no salt. Sprinkled on chile con limon seasoning.
Went to see Red Pony Clock and the Bootleg. I really wanted a drink. Big challenge on the first day. Had a bottle of water. Left before Princeton because I had to go to the store to eat tomorrow.
It was late, Whole Foods and Trader Joes were closed, so went to Vons. They had cage free eggs, but didn't say what they were feeding the hens, so pass. Found a jar of marinara sauce without sugar and used sea salt. Surprised me. All the bottled sauces at Sprouts have sugar added.
Made a ground turkey/veggie/marinara contraption.
1 lbs ground turkey
1 jar marinara sauce
1 bag of carrot/broccoli/cauliflower - which I chopped to make bite site pieces.
2 frozen garlic cubes
Olive oil
Heated the pan/olive oil to high and the frozen garlic square got a little burnt. Start at medium next time.
Added veggies. Stir fry until cauliflower was a little brown.
Added turkey. Stir fry until almost all the way cooked.
Added sauce. Turned to hight until it boiled. Reduced to medium. Simmered until all the sauce was almost gone.
Cleaned kitchen a little and chopped a bell pepper which I will use for breakfast after getting eggs.
That was enough to make 3 servings. I put it in left over Brian's Bowls containers.
Tried a bite and it was pretty good. I'll eat it for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, so I'll find out then it turned out alright.
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| The sauce I used. All Paleo ingredients. |
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| Stir frying the turkey/veggies. Adding sauce soon. |
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| After simmering several minutes. Until most of the sauce evaporated. |
8 Week Palal (or Posher) Challenge
Hey Everyone!
Welcome to my blog. My intentions are not to write a blog that people want to read, but to have a place to store my thoughts while doing a 8 week Paleo challenge with 20+ members of LAX Crossfit. So sorry about it's rambling, stream of consciousness style.
My roommate and I often describe the legitimacy of thing by calling them Kosher or Halal. Hence, if things are legitimately Paleo, they are Posher or Palal. Palal sounds funnier so I'm going with that.
Welcome to my blog. My intentions are not to write a blog that people want to read, but to have a place to store my thoughts while doing a 8 week Paleo challenge with 20+ members of LAX Crossfit. So sorry about it's rambling, stream of consciousness style.
My roommate and I often describe the legitimacy of thing by calling them Kosher or Halal. Hence, if things are legitimately Paleo, they are Posher or Palal. Palal sounds funnier so I'm going with that.
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