IF...Intermittent Fasting...and no one got hurt.

So a few posts back I had mentioned I was going to start incorporating something into my diet called IF (Intermittent Fasting) into my diet just to help out my metabolism.  IF is part of the Primal Blueprint which I have been following since Jan 1.  Basically it is a fast, it is suppose to be unscheduled, but some people schedule them either throughout the week or during the day or even eat one meal a day.  I spoke about doing this during my vacation in Key West, and I didn't even realize I was.  This was because we got up late, met new friends, laid in the sun (and shade) (all in the name of getting adequate Vitamin D,) and just didn't do anything during the day.
So the way that this IF is laid out seems similar to when I had to fast for my colonoscopy except I don't have to drink the laxative.  Also like the many times I have fasted for blood tests the next day.  During the vacation it turned into a fast during the day.  We ate dinner the night before around 7 or 8 and then had a few (or more then a few) drinks, fell asleep, and woke up the next day at 9 or 10.  Got outside sometime maybe around 11 and stayed between the sun, shade and pool for the better part of a day.  Until we ate dinner.  So my vacation fast was really without thinking about and I was limiting my eating to the back end of my day.  So now I have decided to make a conscious choice to not eat for one whole day (more like 36 hours.)  So last Wednesday evening I ate my dinner, and decided to start fasting, and continue not only the next day, but to break my fast on Friday morning. Here is the tale of that day Thursday:
I woke up feeling normal since I had eaten the day before.  This day I had to leave fairly early for a few appointments with a few people who actually did get on my nerves, BUT I wasn't going to let them best me, and I wasn't going to let me hunger take over.  I decided if I was going to do this I was only going to sip some tea and water throughout the day, at least I would be hydrated.  So I got my tea and off I went.  The first appointment was not terrible, but around 12 I was starting to feel a little loopy, I shook it off and had some more tea.  I was definitely feeling hungry, but I was going to keep going.  I had a little break between appointments and had landed myself in NYC a little early so I took a seat at a Starbucks and had some tea.  I texted with my friend Josh and Nicole just to keep sane, as I could feel the hunger take over, but I pulled through, no one was hurt yet.  I had my second appointment and started talking to the two lovely SLP's.  I started hearing myself and I thought, am I talking or are words just coming out of my mouth.  I stopped, apologized if I was talking nonsense because I was fasting and kept going, clearing my head and pushed through.  The appt was done...no one was hurt YAY!  I grabbed a bottle of water for the ride home and headed home, singing showtunes and what not on my way up the New England Thruway.  I got home and felt really energized and thought it was such a nice day out and Ivy needed a walk so I took her to the park for a walk, then decided no, a RUN would be better.  So we loaded up and went for a trail run, after that I felt even better!  I got home and still felt good, I felt loopy as hell, but GREAT!
Eventually that night I fell asleep and the next morning I felt really clear headed and great, I had my normal breakfast of eggs, fruit and yogurt and went on with my day.  I highly recommend trying it, if you dare.

Pulled Chicken...easy...good...yum

 In my quest to come up with new easy meals that I can cook in my slow cooker or don't need much prep time or I want to try something new I found this. Pulled Chicken!  Thanks to my cousin Brian and his girlfriend Claire and their culinary adventures (or the Slow Cooker Revolution cook book) they told me about the Pulled Chicken recipe.  I love anything with BBQ sauce and really I love chicken, and my slow cooker, and food.  So I searched for the recipe since I never got it from them but I couldn't find it, what I remember is boneless skinless chicken thighs and BBQ sauce, but I don't remember the order or the measurements or whatnot.  So I said F IT! and I used my Iron Chef cooking skills (maybe I think they are great, but probably not IRON CHEF quality, but I digress.)  I knew what I had to do and I had the ingredients, so I did what I could and came out with a lovely and tasty meal.  I have also been much more aggressive about reading labels since my stomach issues and eating bread (I knew I had them and now I KNOW they are real!) So I have been making sure if I get sauces that I am not making that they are Gluten-free or what not.  So here it is.  My take on Pulled Chicken, also with a help from a Kentucky friend who mentioned they cook their BBQ in Vinegar and then add the sauce after.

2-3 lbs Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs (organic, cage free...local, you know the drill)
2 TBSP of water
2 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar

2 bottles of BBQ sauce (I used Lip Lickin' Sauce Sweet and Smoky AND Bold and Spicy)

Add the first three ingredients to the crock pot, turn it on low...forget it all day...

When you get back you will see that there is a whole lotta liquid in the pot.  It is a gorgeous smelling, yummy tasting liquid that you should NOT throw away but instead use as a base for a soup, which I did, which didn't come out the best, but that is my fault.

So don't throw the liquid out, save it, its stock, but drain it. Turn the dial down to warm setting or if you have a digital crock pot you are too fancy for me, so figure it out.  I only have High, Low, Warm and Off.
Shred that chicken with two forks and start adding the sauce.

This is post-shredding and with a little BBQ sauce added.

Keep adding sauce until it reaches the desired sauciness.

Here is the finished product, yum-yummy-yummers!  It was so good, I put a little cole-slaw on top of it yum!

By the way if you think you can eat a heaping helping, it is WAY more filling then you think. I took WAY too much and couldn't finish my little bowl.

Happy EATING!

A break while on vacation...or not

So as I said when I started this Primal Journey at the beginning of this year I was going to do this until my birthday with a short break while on vacation in Key West.  Well funny thing about breaks, they don't work or they don't do a body good.  While in Key West I was going to treat myself to some bread and butter, potatoes, some rice, maybe even a beer or 10.  So here is what happened when I ate that piece of bread for breakfast - it did my body bad, all day I was in a crappy mood, my stomach hurt and well I will leave it at that. I didn't even feel like having a few drinks at night.  I really just wanted to go back to the room and fall asleep and wish the pain away.  So I said okay, no bread.  I did have potatoes and some fried Conch fritters too so maybe it could have been that as well.  Anyways, the rest of the trip I stuck with salads or some kind of grilled protein (or raw protein - yummy fresh Oysters) and the veggies.  A few nights I had some rice, that was okay, one place had rice I couldn't taste because it was so salty, so I didn't eat it.  By the end of the week we had made friends with another couple who was staying at our guest house, and I think it was a combination of being lazy and not doing my usual body weight exercises and also the price of meals, but by wednesday we were only eating one meal a day and it happened to be at night.  I know that I was staying up late, partying the night away falling asleep sometime around 3am but still, one meal a week.  As I have been reading Mark Sisson's book The Primal Blueprint I read about the Intermittent Fasting and adding it a few days here and there.  I think it is time I try it a little more then just the one day.  Maybe I will do one full day, and maybe add from there see how I do.  I did come back from vacation a little lighter and a little more tan so all is not lost!  I also came back with possible Achilles Tendinitis as well, from what I don't quite know, but if I need more testing I soon will find out!

Salad, Salad, and more Salad

I love salad or should I say I love making and eating salad.  I love taking random veggies, fruit, protein and making a yummy creation.  Today was no exception to my salad meal.  Today I craved something a little different then the usual savory salad.  So this is what I did. I had a little salad left over from earlier in the week and I bought a container of berries and kiwi. I also added two hard boiled eggs and some left over raw goat's milk cheddar cheese.  I poured a little EVOO and some Sherry Vinegar and BAM, pretty good sweeter salad. I had a wondering Fage whole milk yogurt and now feel awesome!  I love food especially whole food put together and savored!

Primal Jambalaya

I got a little lazy this week, basically I did not stray from this recipe. It was a really good recipe. I just happen to have about a pound and a quarter of Maine Gulf Shrimp from Whole Foods (they were on sale) and I picked up some yummy Lamb Sausage from Sherwood Farms. So I found this recipe and YUMMERS! The Cauliflower surprised me but it was delish!  Even after a few days it is still good,  I didn't post a picture of it because again, it looked like baby poop, but was extremely tasty.  I served it with a side of sauteed kale SO GOOD!  Also this recipe is from the website here, but originally it was from Mark's Daily Apple a site I frequent very often. If you have a chance look it up, his books are good too!


Primal Jambalaya Recipe
2 c Chicken, breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced crushed
14 1/2 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried leaf thyme
1 tbsp parsley (fresh is preferable, but dried will do in a pinch!)
1 tsp chili powder
1 head, large cauliflower
8 oz shrimp (2 cups), shelled, deveined and cleaned
1 Salt and pepper to taste


1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and lightly cook the sausage and chicken over medium heat.

2. Once golden, add onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until onion becomes translucent.
3. Transfer items from the frying pan into a large pot.
4. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, parsley and chili powder and bring to a simmer.
5. While the mixture is simmering (you’ll want to let it go for about 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally), place the cauliflower in a food processor and shred until it becomes the consistency of rice.
6. Add the cauliflower “rice” to the mixture and simmer for another 15 minutes until tender.
7. Add shrimp and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust other spices as needed. Serve piping hot. Serves 6.

Eating with restrictions, while away for work...or modern day gathering

This is the third attempt to try and put down words about tripping it while on a diet.  Each time I have tried the editing software didn't save (I clearly pressed the save button,) I had some muddled thinking going on, or adult ADD kicked in a I would write a sentence and then find something more interesting like pictures of baby otters or kittens and puppies to look at, it happens.
Anyway lets start with my past post of packing for a weekend.  That was easy since I was driving and could easily pack whatever I need, I had access to a car, so I could drive to a store, or I didn't need to refrigerate anything.  So this is a little different, I am flying. Flying proves a little more difficult since well you have limited space, you can't bring your own liquids, and there is no refrigeration.  Also when driving I have a fairly quick trip so whatever I have goes right into a fridge if need be.  Also when driving I know where I am going, can easily go to a grocery store to pick up anything additional needed.  This time I was going to Ohio.  While I go to this location a few times a year and know where some things are it is still difficult when it comes to meals, esp meals provided by my company.  In the past they have consisted of a lot of bread, carbs, fried, and very few veggies.  This was snacks as well as meals.  Even if we went out for a meal it was very limited to pasta, fried meat of some sort or a veggie option which was usually pasta with veggie sauce.  So this time I made sure I was heard in terms of meals.  I was going to make a fuss and I was determined to eat well.  I am pleased to announce while the meals lacked flavor and protein, they were a good effort!  I told our coordinator what I could eat, and I got just that.  Salad and meat, salad and meat, steamed veggies and chicken.  I am so glad she works as hard as she does, she is a saint, it sometimes is like coordinating a meal for 30 kids and you know what I am the kid that "won't eat that."  At this point it't not "I won't eat that" but more in the realm of "I can't eat that." It worked I got what I needed and realized how much I miss protein and how much my body missed the satiety of the meat I usually eat in the morning, or the salad I make up for breakfast.
When eating away from home for a week I get creative and I start hunting and gathering.  I have read it on so many blogs,  you need to flexible and creative with your eating, but when the restaurant is also flexible it is so much the more better.  When they will willingly substitute the yummy brussels sprouts for the potato gratin, I VERY pleased (esp when they have Hendriks Gin as a bar choice).  When they will let me order the steak special with asparagus off the Pub menu because everything on the menu they provided is full bread bread and more bread, I am happy.  That is how you keep customers.  They way you don't keep customers is to whisper under your breathe about a person diet, or just flat out say "NO - can NOT do that."  Really, as a non-business person, that is not a way to run a business, but having worked in a restaurant, (fast-food Italian, but we cooked everything to order) I will say be flexible, cater to the customer because that customer is almost guaranteed not only to come back (if the food was good,)  but also tell a few people, or even will tell a few people either via the internet (blogs, like this one or other social media) or word of mouth.  So I want to do a shout out to two restaurants in Wooster, OH who were very accommodating as well and yummy.
First the Wooster Inn, which let me order the Steak pub special and let me have some veggie instead of the potato (thanks!)  The other actually had a pleasing Gluten-Free Menu and on there website they list the farms where their food comes from!  So good and local, my favorite! So South Market Bistro you get 5 thumbs up for being yummy, creative, flexible, accommodating, friendly, and well priced!  I will be looking forward to coming back this summer for some more delicious food (did I mention the Brussels Sprouts were my favorite!!!)

Pickles...take two

Alright here it is, my second attempt at making pickles.  The first was a disaster and I won't be the only one to tell you that.  The first also involved a whole bunch of farm fresh cukes.  I would say a bushel, or maybe half of one.  Anyway.  I tried the "recipe on the box" for the first time, and guess what, they sucked, they were mushy and gross, so I am trying a new recipe. This recipe is for naturally fermented pickles, so I don't have to cook them.  I am also not sure what is going on in this natural state! I didn't exactly follow the recipe since I did not have any dill weed, I used dill seed, so we shall see.  I will post again in a few days to see how they turned out.  I love taking something and making it into something new!  I like cukes, but I LOVE Pickles, so if I can make it right then rock on, it didn't seem as daunting as the other process where you pour the vinegar and the boiling water and blah blah blah.  Check in later to see how they have come out.