Update

I have been busy working on my Barefoot Run, living Primal and Intermittent Fasting. First, the run is now set for July 17th at Gallup Park. We are working on shirts, sponsors, advertising and volunteers.  I am concentrating on eating more meat and vegetables, less rice and fruit and no carbs. My work outs are Mon-Arms, Tues-Chest, Wed-Legs and Thursday-back. I take Friday off. I try to swim bike and run on the weekends with a couple of runs during the week. The week runs are usually two miles for distance and the weekend runs are one mile warm ups and hard sprints. The philosophy is lift heavy things and sprint. In the past I usually worked on mileage, but now it's just speed. My eating routine is now Mon/Wed/Fri-Lunch and snacks at night, Tue/Thur-Breakfast, shake for lunch and Dinner. The weekends are not structured, but I try to eat brunch and Dinner. I weighed in at 186 today after being at 190 at the beginning of the month! I should be at 175 by August. I actually think 170 is ideal, but figure I will plateau once first.

Breakfast

 This is a great breakfast and everyone in my family seems to enjoy it. That is not always the case when it comes to Primal meals. Today I used Zingermann's Bacon. A bit pricey, but it helps to have the extra flavorful bacon. I but those around the outside, then put in chopped peppers, but any veggies will do. Next I scrambled 4 eggs, 1/2 per, with a little cheese scrambled into the eggs. No milk. I then bake it in the oven for 15 min at 450° to get the bacon crispy and 15 min at 300°. Take it out of the oven and let it cool before removing. Like I said, there are many variations on this and I would have put Portabellas in if I had any.

Update Time

Here is the table of goodies from the party on Saturday. I am including this because it is the same stuff I have had at every party for years. This shows the difficulty of going Primal on your own. I made the Bruschetta so I had to eat a couple of the steak ones to make sure they were good, but mostly stuck to the good cheese, the meat tray and some sushi. I did eat quite a bit of the fatty steak pieces I trimmed off in order to curb my appetite before the party started. I drank hard cider, sake, tequila and wine, but no beer. While I had my own challenges I thought it rather ironic that the rest of the crowd was on weight watchers. The irony being that they brought desserts etc. On Sunday, with a slight hangover, I got out to Kensington for the first outdoor barefoot run of the year. The weather reached 40°, which was actually really nice after wind chills of -25° just a week earlier. I did wear my Vibrams and felt pretty comfortable during the run. However, once I put my socks and shoes back on my toes started to sting as they warmed up. It was worth it. As far as my weight is concerned, I am still at 190. Not sure how much of fat loss is being offset by increased weights, but probably not too much. I turn 45 in 11 days and wanted to be at 180. Guess 185 is going to be more realistic. I am getting pretty excited about Spring being just around the corner. We have a warm up coming and I hope to take advantage of that at least a little bit.

Primal Snack W/ a Twist

I have already shown this before, but I came up with a new twist! First, I wrap the chicken square and Jalapeno in bacon, then skewer it. I then put it on a deep dished pan so the grease drips off. Next, I put it in the preheated 300° oven for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up I add the asparagus to the bacon grease and add a little garlic to it and place it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. I recommend making a Primal dipping sauce. I used a BBQ sauce I found without HFCS, but it still had other ingredients we don't really want. I washed it down with a hard cider. BTW, I made a lot more than this, but forgot to take the picture until this point. I hate it when I do that.

Mexican Lunch

As I mentioned before, I found a few lower cost lunches that I was going to document. Of course, I forgot to take the picture until after it was mostly eaten. Today I went to Sabor Latino and ordered two Steak Tacos and a Mexican Coke. While they do use corn tortillas, I figure that's the worst of the meal. No cheese, like they do in Mexico, but lot's of onion and cilantro. I ask for the "Trio", which is their 3 salsas at no charge. I just use the pico de gallo and the HOT sauce. I do not touch the chips, which I know is hard for most, but I remember someone calling them "chips of death" so i just think about that. Mexican Coke is different, notice the bottle, and it has sugar instead of HFCS. This is the only soda I will drink. 2nd one since going Primal and I shared this one. $1.99 per Taco and $2.00 for the coke, plus $2.00 for the cute waitress.

Godaiko Again

I can give this one the best rating ever. It was excellent across the board. The soup was hot and spicy with a variety of meats. The teriyaki pork was so tender it melted in my mouth. The fried rice was not oily at all. The chicken Katsu was very good. Finally, the sushi roll...tuna and avocado lightly battered and fried with spicy sauce drizzled on top. I can't imagine it getting better than that! It is always hit or miss, but the ones that aren't great are worth it and the great ones are a steal. As a side note: I think I need some new restaurants to report on.

Godaiko Again

Godaiko is still one of my favorites, but I never have my camera for the best lunch specials. This one was still good. The soup was spicy with different meats, potato and carrots. The chicken had an Orange sauce and much better than any Chinese restaurant lunch special would make. The Lobster on lettuce was different, which is the reason I go there, but a little too much mayo or just not enough flavor. The last dish is a Tofu dish. I have been avoiding Tofu, but ate this anyways cause I was hungry. They do a warm Plum sauce with it, pretty tasty. I would give this an average rating-for them.

Football and Primal Snacks

 GO BLUE!!! I went over to a friends house to watch the Denard Robinson show. Man that guy is fast. Now if the Defense could just tighten up a bit. So I got into the game before I remembered I wanted to take these pictures, but did manage to get two before everything was gone. I made the chicken and Jalapeno slices wrapped in bacon. Pretty simple recipe. I cut the chicken in 1" cubes, add a jalapeno slice and wrap with 1/2 piece of bacon. I skewer these and cook for 30 min @ 300°. I don't think 30 min is necessary, but wanted to get the bacon nice and crispy. I also cut up some celery and broccoli and used ranch for dipping. Add a couple of hard ciders and enjoy the game.

Taco Omelet

This is by far my favorite breakfast. I start with sauteing Jalapenos in butter, then add three eggs and flip. One of the habits I am in lately is to save 1/4 cup taco meat from taco night and use that inside with 2% nonfat shredded Mexican cheese. I put most of the cheese on the 1/3 I am giving my wife. Then I used half an avocado, add a little salsa on the side and top with Chalula. We go through a bottle a week of Chalula at our house.

Pork Chops

More on the Primal meals. Last night was pork chops stuffed with spinach and feta cheese. I also made asparagus that I drizzle with olive oil and garlic, then bake for 10 minutes at 300°. It is my new favorite veggie. Of course, I would eat more, but my 7 yr old loves it too and I am just glad to see her eating her veggies, so I give her a lot of them. The potato salad I bought at Arbor Farms mostly for the wife and child, but I put a dollop on my plate too. Note the Strongbow cider!

Grocery Shopping

So...here is an issue that has been confounding me and I hope to either get input from readers or I may have to resort to my own investigation. Or Both. I shop at Walmart for the prices and try to limit the processed food I buy, but my wife and daughter are still insisting on some items so I have to buy them to keep from having a revolt. I do get some fruits and vegetables from there, but they don't always have the best selections. I have noticed the Organics have increased. Then there is the meat. I will not buy any meat from Walmart because I know they are getting it from the mass production corporations. They question I have is what are the differences between the market down the road that butchers their own meat, Marv's Meats, which is a very good (popular) butcher, and the stuff I get at Arbor Farms. I know Arbor Farms carries the grass fed meats and they also have great produce, but where do the other two fall in? I am under the impression that Marv's is the next best thing and local market is almost as bad as Walmart, Meijer and Kroger, but is this correct?

Primal Breakfast

I realized I don't write enough about Breakfast and Dinner, so today I am showing my breakfast and included my wife's to show the difference. I had two eggs, two sausage and a touch of hash browns. I use Tabasco to give a little flavor. Compare that to her breakfast, which I used to eat also, one egg, one sausage, more hash browns and toast. She uses Ketchup and I think she only eats half the toast,  I won't eat toast anymore. I noticed we had a loaf and a half in the freezer, which I do to keep the bread from going bad. Pre-Primal I would have to buy a new loaf every other week. The eggs are Egglands, which I buy from Meijer. I also buy Cage Free Organic from Walmart, but now have a self imposed limit of $2.50 for a dozen, as I have read enough to convince me as long as I avoid the mass produced salmonella eggs I am okay. It's hard to see in this picture, but I also occasionally drink the Bolthouse Green Goodness which does not look too appealing, but tastes just like apple juice. in addition, it has a lot of vitamins and nutrients.

Japanese Lunch Special

Went to Godaiko again. I'd give this lunch special a "B" today. Fried mushrooms are a waste of a dish, as far as I'm concerned. The wonton soup had the usual carrots, potato and celery. Tasted great. The salmon dish is a little unusual for my tastes, but I don't get enough salmon so I'm always happy when they serve it. I leave most of the rice. The best part was the spicy tuna roll. I can't get enough of that. One of the things I have done in the past was to sub a salad in place of the fried mushrooms, but I got there before the special was presented so I was not able to make that request.

Ahmo's Deli

Went to Ahmo's for lunch and ordered the Hummus with Meat Plate. I get the combo meat with a fatoush salad, but ask them to hold the pita bread for the hummus and in the salad. They went a little heavy on the dressing this time, but the salad has so many good things in it I ate it most of it. I gave 75% of the rile pilaf to my lunch partner and ate all of the Hummus. I know beans aren't pure Primal, but Hummus really makes the meal. Make sure you get the combo meat because they give you more this way and don't charge any extra.

Alcohol Choices

None is not a choice. Real good beer makes me congested even more now that I have been avoiding grains. I can't drink the Bud Light and other watered down stuff because I spent the last 2 decades being a micro brew snob and my tastes just don't allow for the weak stuff. I tried to go with Tequila using the logic of Blue Agave not being a grain, but after a few shots it gets old and adding marg mix is bad since it is pure HFCS. I do like to drink wine, but it is a bit expensive and not always appropriate for the setting, as I can't picture Grok standing around with a glass of Cab holding a spear. So, now I am trying the hard cider. It seems to meet all of my Paleo requirements. A side benefit to drinking cider is that I am unlikely to drink a lot of these because they are tart and fizzy, yet it satisfies the need to drink a little alcohol while watching the Lions come close but fail, again. Anyone have other recommendations?

Pho for Hangovers

For those of you not familiar with this dish it is a Vietnamese soup made with beef and rice noodles in a broth containing Oxtails and other flavors. Note: the bone marrow soup was one of Mark's hangover recommendations. It is the perfect hangover dish and today I killed the whole bowl. I did not have breakfast so I had plenty of room in what has become a shrinking stomach. I also don't drink much, if any, water with my meals because I believe it hinders the digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals. Of course, the hangover itself is not living Primal, but it happens.

Coffee-one cup a day

I used to live in Seattle, the home of Starbucks and the start of the gourmet coffee craze. I used to drink extra strong coffee all day long with the occasional espresso thrown in to give me a boost. While I still love a good cup of Joe I no longer have more than the one cup in the morning, unless it is a special circumstance. I use the K-cups now, which is rather expensive and is just above average. Before going Primal I had to have a couple of cups a day because I was going to fall asleep. I thought it was because I was addicted to the caffeine and my buzz was wearing off, but now I know the real cause. Now that I no longer eat my grains for breakfast and lunch I don't have insulin crashes. I now have so much energy in the afternoons it's a little scary, for others! So, the moral of the story is that not needing coffee in the afternoon to make it through is another advantage of going Primal. Sorry Starbucks.

Lunch at Lotus Thai

My favorite lunch special at Lotus Thai is the Panang Chicken Curry. The first picture is the way it comes, with the fried spring roll and all the rice. The second picture is after I removed the spring roll and split the rice in half. I especially like the way they make this dish here because they add broccolli, carrots, red peppers and green peppers. My experience with other Thai restaurants is that they only use green peppers. Again, I think I still eat too much rice, but it is great for soaking up the spicey Curry.

Haylee's First Day of School and Breakfast

I took Haylee to Barry's Bagels for breakfast before her first day of school. I no longer have bagels for breakfast and am positive that I have lost 5 lbs alone from avoiding them. I now get two slices of Lox. It tastes great, costs about the same as a bagel with cream cheese and I don't get hungry and tired an hour later. I struggle with feeding Haylee, since I don't want to impose my Primal eating on her 100% I will wait until she comes around to wanting to be healthier and stronger like her dad. Of course, I am still a bit of a food Nazi, but you can't really blame me after all I have read and experienced. The big corporations spend billions trying to influence her to eat processed food and I hope that I can offset that by giving her a consistent message of healthy eating while not forcing it down her throat, so to speak.

Japanese Lunch Special

Godaiko is one of my favorite places to eat lunch. Today's lunch special was a bit of a failure. I did ask them to substitute a salad for the noodles. Nothing but useless carbs there. The sushi, if you could call it that, was fake Krab and I know that's bad. The soup is always good and the entree was tempura chicken, which was only slightly better than chicken nuggets I'm sure. I am dying to know what kind of oil they use and perhaps in the future it will be my responsibility to the blog to ask. Of course, I don't know what I will do if I get an answer I don't want to hear!