Modern Paleo

chili con carne

2012-02-22T02:06:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of strong opinions about chili, not having grown up in a chili-centric place at all. We had white hots, garbage plates, and custard. And my favorite pizza, which I haven't had in many years and probably wouldn't be my favorite pizza anymore. Then on to Boston, which yeah, not much chili. Still, I am, after all, a food snob. Pretty snooty in general, but for sure a snoot about food. And you don't have to have chili running through your veins since childhood to be able to appreciate good chili. Any other snobs wanting to debate that with me? Well you're wrong.

While the dearth of things like fresh seafood and upstate apples here get me down sometimes, I feel pretty happy to be readily, abundantly, and perhaps bludgeonly able to buy whatever kind of chile I want. They really are a pretty magical ingredient, and apparently a rather large segment of the population here agrees. I also can get bulk dried hibiscus flowers. (What do you do with those besides steep them, anything interesting??) I feel like anything with ancho peppers in it has got to be wonderful (better do them justice). Joe made an ancho pepper and pumpkin mole the other day. The pumpkin had been sitting on the counter for probably since like Thanksgiving. I have no idea. Good thing they're hardy. Mole was sweet.

If you want to get extra fancy, since you are making your very own chili paste, you could toast and grind whole spices. I'm a little ashamed I didn't. I'M SORRY I'M SUCH A FRAUD. It's not like I don't have an overflowing amount of true cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, and cumin seeds clogging up my spice area. I should take a picture of that area some time for the blog. It's ridiculous. At one point I had the jars all stacked up so high on top of each other that if the back door got ~~slammed~~ closed too hard, they'd all come tumbling down in a seed scattering, glass shard-ering nightmare. The last disaster was a mason jar full of fenugreek seeds. I just found some in my fakeCrocs the other day. Seeds, that is. I'm sure I'll find glass shards another, wonderful day.

Feel free to experiment with the kinds and amounts of chiles. It's really a starting point and a personal preference thing. I'm not really into stupid spicy stuff, so I didn't use a lot of chiles de árbol or chipotles. I really thought it was perfectly spicy as is, but if you're nervous, leave out the spicy ones. You can also add veggies if you want. I just made this a purist chili. My hunk of meat wasn't the biggest either - you could get away with another pound with the amount of chili paste this makes. Adding more broth to make sure the meat is covered while it's simmering, and then letting it cook down, won't hurt anything.

chili con carne
adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats

2 fresh Anaheim peppers, seeded
2 California chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 small hot chile, like árbol, stemmed and seeded
1 chipotle chile, not from a can if you can help it, but it or powder will do, stemmed and seeded
3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 quarts chicken broth, or homemade beef broth
2 1/2 - 3 pounds chuck roast, trimmed, fat reserved, and cut into 2 inch chunks
1-2 tablespoons tallow or bacon grease
1 large onion, finely diced
4 - 5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably Mexican
1 tablespoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons oregano, preferably Mexican
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, combine chiles and enough broth to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chiles are tender. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.

optional: Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch over over medium low heat. Add the reserved fat from the beef to the Dutch oven. Render as much fat as you can be bothered to do.

2. Heat the Dutch oven with the rendered beef fat, or a couple tablespoons of another fat, over high heat and add half of the beef chunks. Cook for several minutes then flip and brown the other side. Scoop out and place in a bowl, and repeat with the other half.

3. Lower heat to medium (remove the pot and let cool a bit if you have a blasted electric stove) and add onions. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and oregano, and sauté for another minute.

4. Dump meat and any accumulated juices, chile purée, and remaining broth in the pot. Stir to combine.

5. You can either simmer on the stove top or place in at 225 degree oven, lid slightly ajar, for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I cooked it in the oven. So easy.

Season pot to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, adjust spices if you want. Serve with chopped onions, cilantro, avocado, pepitas, scallions, or whatever! You will love me. And even more if you have leftovers the next day.

this was originally posted at my blog, the crankin' kitchen!

How to Make Bacon in the Oven

2012-02-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

I make bacon on a regular basis, and I always make it in the oven in a glass pan. That's the easiest, tastiest, and cleanest way I've found to to make a large batch of perfect bacon.

First, lay the strips neatly in a large glass pan.

The larger the pan the better! If the slices don't all fit, I will overlap them, one exactly on top of another, then adjust them when I flip them. They shrink while cooking, so you'll end up with more room.

Cook at 400F for 20 minutes -- perhaps a bit less if you pre-heated the oven.

Flip over each slice, and re-adjust the placement as needed.

Cook for another 10 minutes. You might need a few more minutes after that -- it depends on how crispy you like your bacon.

Save the grease for later cooking. Once the pan is cool, let the dog(s) lick the glass pan. (If you are missing the dog, adopt one!)

You can cook bacon at a lower temperature with more time too, but I don't have the timing worked out for that. You can also use cookie sheets lined with tin foil in the oven too. That makes it harder for the doggies to enjoy, however. And the bacon doesn't seem to cook quite as nicely as it does in a glass pan. I've seen some people recommend using a rack in a pan. I've never tried that, but it seems like more trouble.

Modern Paleo in The Daily Camera

2012-02-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

The paleo diet was recently the subject of an article in Boulder's newspaper, The Daily Camera: Paleo diet advocates claim increased energy, health benefits. Very unexpectedly, Modern Paleo was mentioned!

With more than 90 active members, the Denver paleo group on Meetup.com provides a way for paleo dieters to connect, support each other and share tips. In Boulder, more than 45 people are on a waiting list anticipating the start of a similar group. With the objective of creating an online community, University of Colorado graduate Diana Hsieh started ModernPaleo.com.

The article is pretty good, as much as I groan at the paleo "pancakes" featured in the opening and the closing.

Summer Conference: Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and the Moral Foundations of Capitalism

2012-02-19T09:00:00.002-07:00

Attention, students!

The Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism is happy to announce its sixth annual Summer Conference for Students, titled Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and the Moral Foundations of Capitalism. We're accepting applications now. The conference will feature an in-depth analysis of Rand's magnum opus and explore the following questions:
What is the moral basis for a free market?
How to individual rights function in a capitalist society?
What does the history of capitalism teach us about its moral basis?
How is Ayn Rand's view of capitalism unique?
The conference features lectures by Craig Biddle, Eric Daniels, Richard Ebeling, and Andrew Bernstein as well as special guest to be announced soon.

The conference will take place on the Clemson University campus from May 24 - 28th. Scholarships are available to qualified undergraduate and graduate students, including housing, meals, and a travel stipend. For more information and to apply, visit the 2012 conference website or use the contact form. Testimony from conference alumni, video highlights, and an FAQ are also available.

The deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.

Here is the web site for the conference and the form to apply. It's free, and travel stipends are available.

Video: Liking But Not Loving Your Career

2012-02-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast, I discussed liking but not loving your career. The question was:

What should I do if I have a good job but not burning professional ambition? I have a good job that pays well. I perform my job well to the best of my ability. But I don't feel about it the same way that Howard Roark felt about the field of architecture in The Fountainhead or that Dagny felt about the railroad business in Atlas Shrugged. I don't hate my job – I do enjoy the work and the people I work with. But it's not my burning passion. On a scale of 1-to-10, my paying job (and the overall field) is a 7, but I also have various non-paying outside hobbies and activities that are more of a 8 or 9 for me. Should I try to cultivate a strong passion for my paying job? Or look for a different line of work? Or ramp up my pursuit of various hobbies and outside activities that give me greater satisfaction on the side?

My answer, in brief:

A person's work should serve his life, and sometimes that means choosing the one career that you're wildly passionate about, and sometimes that means choosing a career that you enjoy, but that enables you to pursue other values.

Here's the video of my full answer:

If you enjoy the video, please "like" it on YouTube and share it with friends via social media, forums, and e-mail! You can also throw a bit of extra love in our tip jar.

Join the next Philosophy in Action Webcast on Sunday at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET at www.PhilosophyInAction.com/live.

In the meantime, Connect with Us via social media, e-mail, RSS feeds, and more. Check out the Webcast Archives, where you can listen to the full webcast or just selected questions from any past episode, and our my YouTube channel. And go to the Question Queue to submit and vote on questions for upcoming webcast episodes.

Objectivist Links

2012-02-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

As part of Modern Paleo's weekend schedule of blogging on Objectivism on Saturdays and free market politics on Sundays, I like to post a link to The Objectivist Roundup. The Objectivist Roundup is a weekly blog carnival for Objectivists. Contributors must be Objectivists, but posts on any topic are welcome, including posts on food and health.

Rule of Reason hosted this week's Objectivist Roundup. If you're interested in seeing the latest and best from Objectivist bloggers, go take a look!

Also, in my live Philosophy in Action Webcast on Sunday morning, I'll answer questions on better and worse religions, telling a friend about romantic feelings, overfeeding a child as abuse, interest in a lover's writings, and more. As always, it's on Sunday, 19 February 2012 at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET at www.PhilosophyInAction.com/live. Please join us for this hour of lively discussion, where we apply rational principles to the challenges of living virtuous, happy, and free lives!

Here are the questions that I'll answer this week:

Question 1: Better and Worse Religions: Are some religions better than others? Do certain religions encourage rationality more than others? Do some promote better moral systems than others? I am curious both about different forms of Christianity (Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian, Mormon, etc.), as well as other religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Baha'i, etc.). Should rational atheists respect followers of certain religions more than others?

Question 2: Telling a Friend about Romantic Feelings: Am I obliged to tell a friend that I've developed romantic feelings towards her? Recently, I've developed romantic feelings for a platonic friend. Is it dishonest to withhold this information from her and just continue our friendship? What should I do if she asks me a direct question about my feelings? When would it be wrong to withhold this information from her, if ever?

Question 3: Overfeeding a Child as Abuse: Is overfeeding a child a form of abuse? In November, county officials in Ohio placed a third-grade child into foster care on the grounds that he's over 200 pounds and his mother isn't doing enough to control his weight. (See the news story.) The boy does not currently have any serious medical problems: he's merely at risk for developing diabetes, hypertension, etc. The county worked with the mother for a year before removing the child, and it claims that her actions constitute medical neglect. Now his mother is only permitted to see him once per week for two hours. Did the state overreach its proper authority in removing the child from his home?

Question 4: Interest in a Lover's Writings: Should a person always be interested in the creative works of a romantic interest or lover? I'm romantically interested in a woman who writes as her career. While my admiration of her is based in her virtues and even heroic qualities, I'm don't find the subjects of her writing to be particularly interesting. If I were to begin dating this woman, should I read everything that she's written and writes?

After that, we'll do a round of totally impromptu "Rapid Fire Questions."

If you can't attend the live webcast, you can listen to these webcasts later as audio-only podcasts by subscribing to our RSS Feeds. You can also listen to full episodes or just selected questions from any past episode in the Webcast Archive, including questions on paleo, nutrition, and health. Finally, don't forget to submit and vote on the questions that you'd most like me to answer from the ongoing Question Queue.

The Paleo Rodeo #100

2012-02-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this week's edition of The Paleo Rodeo!

The Paleo Rodeo is a weekly blog carnival featuring the best paleo-related posts by members of the PaleoBloggers e-mail list. The past editions of the Rodeo are collected on this page.

What is "paleo"? As I say in Modern Paleo Principles:

A "paleo" approach to health uses the evolutionary history of homo sapiens, plus the best of modern science, as a broad framework for guiding daily choices about diet, fitness, medicine, and supplementation. The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

The purpose of The Paleo Rodeo is to highlight some of the best blogging of the ever-growing paleosphere.

Here is this week's edition:

Peggy Emch presents Paleo Pals by Sarah Fragoso - New Book Review posted at The Primal Parent.

Ruth Almon presents What Actually Is Trans Fat? posted at Ruth's Real Food, saying, "We've all heard the term "trans fats", but what does it actually mean? Here's a simple explanation."

Jedha presents How To Start The Paleo Diet? posted at Paleo Diet Blog, saying, "A few tips and suggestions on how to get started with paleo."

Nell Stephenson presents Signature Raw Paleo Truffles Revisited for Valentine's posted at Paleoista.

Suz Robinson presents 7 Habits of Highly Healthy People posted at The Paleo Network, saying, "I've noticed healthy people have 7 key habits which they all share - and which I'm going to try to adopt to improve my own health"

Meghan Little presents Paleo Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, A Dairy-Free, Grain-Free Dessert posted at Paleo Effect, saying, "These chocolate chip cookies really are chewy! They travel easy as well, which is a plus for the whole family! The dough is perfect for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream too!"

Sean Booth presents Making Ghee! posted at Old Fashioned Upgrades, saying, "My first experiment with making ghee! Turned out amazing and delicious!"

Eddy presents What’s Gonna Get You? Murder or Heart Disease? posted at Health Freak Revolution, saying, "Will this change your perspective? Do people have their priorities in the right place?"

Diana Hsieh presents How to Make Bacon in the Oven posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Here are my instructions for making bacon in a glass pan in the oven... which is an easy way to make lots of perfectly-cooked bacon with little mess."

Jennifer Hunt presents Insights Into The Whole30 Gone Bad posted at Vibrant Sexy Strong, saying, "A personal take on how healthy diets can go awry."

Neely Quinn presents Chocolate Cake for Breakfast Makes You Lose Weight? Come on. posted at Paleo Plan.

Stacy Toth presents Eat Like a Dinosaur: Video and More! posted at Paleo Parents, saying, "The preview video for Eat Like a Dinosaur! Features new, never before seen pages from the book! Check it out and see if any hatchlings you know might like it!"

Joe Lindley presents Good Calories Bad Calories Review, Gary Taubes, Carbohydrate Hypothesis posted at Stop Craving Sugar..., saying, "I know that Good Calories Bad Calories (often just called GCBC for short) is a bit of old news for a number of us. For those of you who are new to the low carb or paleo community, this is an important and pivotal work. It's a big book but well worth the time if you are interested in the low carb revolution and the science behind it."

Riki Shore presents Spicy Asian Slaw posted at Three Squares, saying, "This slaw is crunchy, fresh, minty, sweet and spicy all at the same time - YUM!"

Fatisfied presents Free Your Fat posted at Free Your Fat, saying, "Eat what you want to burn... fat... the body's best food fuel"

Amy Kubal presents Ketogenic Diet Changes Little Kailey’s Life posted at Robb Wolf, saying, "A ketogenic diet gives one little girl new hope!"

Paul Jaminet presents The Trouble with Pork, Part 2 posted at Perfect Health Diet, saying, "Our pork series continues with a look at a few candidates for the disease-causing agents in pork."

Holly presents Porkapalooza - 15 Paleo Recipes For Those Who Love to Pig Out posted at Holly Would If She Could, saying, "A roundup of 15 yummy recipes involving one of my favorite affordable ingredients: PORK!"

Peter Ballerstedt presents Grass Based Health: Happy Valentine’s Day! posted at Grass Based Health.

Laurie Donaldson presents A Barely Sweet Treat - Cranberry Citrus Muffins posted at Food for Primal Thought, saying, "These muffins are not 100% paleo, but pretty low on the SAD scale overall."

Julia Campbell presents long-cooked broccoli posted at the crankin' kitchen!, saying, "broccoli cooked this way is gloriously soft, garlicky, and just a tad spicy."

Many thanks to the PaleoBloggers who submitted to this edition of the The Paleo Rodeo! This blog carnival has plenty of room to grow! So if you blog on paleo-related matters and you'd like to submit your posts to the carnival, please subscribe to the PaleoBloggers e-mail list. You'll receive instructions and reminders via that list.

Finally, you can find all of the blogs of the PaleoBloggers on this continuously-updated list:
Enjoy!

Question of the Week: Sweet Potatoes

2012-02-17T08:00:00.002-07:00

The Modern Paleo Question of the Week is:

What's your favorite way to eat sweet potato? Do you only eat it on workout days?

We want to hear your answer in the comments! You're also welcome to post a comment or question on any other paleo-related topic.

If you'd like to submit a question for an upcoming question of the week, please e-mail me at diana@dianahsieh.com.

oven-crisped yuca fries

2012-02-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

It's a little weird when the checkout people at the grocery store routinely have to ask me, with a furrowed brow, what various produce items are that I buy. Then they flip through their produce code book and ask me how the hell you cook xyz. Like yuca. If someone who rings up the groceries of hundreds of people every single day seems to have never seen a yuca root, I can only wonder how long it's been sitting in the store. I guess that's why there's usually wax on the outside of them. Ew. It's also weird that yuca is poisonous raw. Humans are so strange. Do other animals have to take preventative measures to safely eat foods they regularly consume? I guess my cats have a pretty good barf reflex when they eat something that they somehow know will make them sick. Don't feed beef to your cats. I don't know why they can't eat it, but the barf tells me it's true.

I've had an obsession with yuca for nearly as long as my obsession with plantains. I used to get it at my favorite little Venezuelan place in Boston that was dangerously close to my house. Fried yuca and fried plantains are a ~~freaking amazing~~ bad way to stuff your face. Joe made me dinner the other weekend and he tried to make these cheesy yuca turnover things, but do it newyearnewyou compliant. It definitely turned out not like a turnover, but pretty awesome nonetheless. Boiled, then puréed yuca chunks into this super stretchy, starchy goop and then attempted to pan crisp it with questionable success. It was, and I say this lovingly, a very typical Joe meal of a ~~I told you it wasn't a~~ good idea turned fuck-it mash-in-a-pan. But I gobbled it up like the starch crazed monster that I am. Starch and salt. And fat. And sugar. I love you all.

Most people deep fry yuca, if they're going the crispy route. I can't justify using up that much oil. You definitely get a different texture oven-crisping the fries, but it's still good and crispy and delicious. You could also pan-fry them, but using your oven is just so easy. There's a tough fiber running down the middle of the root that you're not really going to want to eat. You can either try to cut it away before you boil the fries, after when they're softer.... or just when you're eating them. That's what I did. Oh, ack, this is tough, okay eating around this. Peeling the root is about as annoying as a butternut squash. Less so, I think, because there's no giant bulb to combat with. God I hate that butternut squash bulb. And the seeding? WORST. And squash juice makes your hands feel so freaking weird. What is that??

oven-crisped yuca fries with lime

1 big yuca root, like 2 lbs., but whatever you can find
lard or bacon grease
sea salt
fresh lime juice

1. Peel your yuca root with a vegetable peeler. There's the outer brown skin, then a purple-y layer underneath. Get down to the white. Cut into 1/2 inch thick, several inches long fries, cutting around any brown spots or anything gross. Again, I have no idea how long my root was sitting in that grocery store...

2. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Put your fries in a pot of salted, cold water to cover, bring to a boil and boil for about 12 minutes, until they're tender when pierced with a fork.

3. Drain the yuca, put back in the pot and mix around several tablespoons of pig fat until they appear to be very nicely coated with fat. You can add more, no one's watching.

4. Place yuca in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Flip them over and bake for about another 12 - 15 minutes until nice and lightly browned.

Squeeze copious amounts of lime juice over the fries and sprinkle coarse sea salt on top. Perfect with fatty, crispy pork. Or anything. By themselves. Don't eat too many.

green curry salmon with kiwi salsa

2012-02-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Trying desperately to pry myself away from obsessing over another ethnically accurate meal, I instead managed to produce some sort of dreaded fusion cuisine. Totally don't care. At least I didn't make mac and cheese-filled potstickers. Plus, kiwi salsa? You know I have an affinity for fruit salsas, and this one is no exception. I mulled over somehow incorporating coconut milk, which if you've got a genius idea, I'd encourage and like to hear about it. I saw some recipe that puréed kiwis with coconut milk, but that seemed a shame. Then I considered poaching the salmon in coconut milk, but ohhh the crispy skin (bacon of the sea). I dunno, sometimes I want to mash together every possible delicious flavor that I think would go well together. Best to just step it back. Like that dumb jewelry rule for ladies that I consistently flout.

I got a cold the other night. Started with that nasty drip burn in the back of my throat, then an achy neck. I felt kinda junky the next day, just real droopy and achy. But lo and behold, the following day? Good as new. I can't definitively say any reason, I suppose, but I'm putting my money on eating so freaking well this past month. I've noticed in general that my cold frequency has gone way down since I started eating paleo, but duration is one thing that's really easy to notice. I distinctly remember being out of commission for like a week with colds that I used to get back when I lived in Boston. So.awesome. I'm totally on a Whole 30 high. Probably like those fats on The Biggest Loser feel after eating well (questionable - Jennie O??), exercising the crap out of themselves, and getting off all of their meds. I think I should set a goal to become a trainer on that show. Or gain 200 pounds and use my charming personality to gain a spot on it.

I think Mahi Mahi, catfish, or some warm water fish would be better suited for this, just to lessen the fusion-y aspect, but I'll take what I can find on super sale. If you're used to simply peeling away the skin on your fish, don't! It's so awesome, plus scaling it is actually kind of fun. Scales go flying all over your kitchen, but you feel real rustic and accomplished. I mean, I like job specialization and all, but sometimes it's fun to live the life of a fishmonger, for about the 1 minute it takes to scale a slab of salmon.

green curry salmon with kiwi salsa

salsa
4 kiwis, peeled and chopped
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeño, or to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I find it easiest to peel a kiwi by cutting it in half, then using a spoon to scoop out the fruit. That way you also get to scoop out and eat any leftover kiwi in the skin shell.

salmon
1 side of salmon, skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil/fat, divided
2-3 tablespoons green curry paste
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Using a butter knife, scale the skin by running the knife over it backward. Give the salmon a good rinse afterward.

2. Coat the fish with some olive oil and generously pat on the curry paste. Season to taste with salt (depending on your curry paste - mine is rather salty) and pepper. Cut into fillets.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, sear the salmon for about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets you cut. Do this in batches for the most even cooking. Don't disturb the fish until you're ready to flip it! You don't want a stuck on skin mess.

Top the fish with some kiwi salsa! Gorgeous.

Recapping The Whole 30 Adventure

2012-02-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

This post is a follow-up to my announcement to try The Whole 30 both of which are cross-posted on my own blog, Trey Givens.com.

Well, it is finally over. And it is difficult for me to express exactly how glad not to be worrying over The Whole 30 any more.

I suppose the worrying part is my own fault, since for the month of January I could probably count on two hands the number of mornings that I woke without a vivid memory of a dream in which I ate something bad and worried about paying Diana $20 for the infraction. Clearly, my subconscious is far more concerned about financial matters than my physical well-being. So, how did I end up doing?

Well, I paid Diana a total of $80 this month.

Half of it was due to a week in which I was on a business trip and only worked out once. 2 missed workouts * $20 = $40.

On that same business trip, I was at a restaurant with my boss's boss for dinner and I ordered what appeared to be a "safe" meal and explained to the waitress that I absolutely could not have diary. First, she came back with a plate sprinkled with cheese, so I sent it back. When she returned to the kitchen she explained that what I had ordered actually also included butter. So, I had a choice: change my order completely and be the awkward person sitting at the table without food or just suck it up and pay Diana $20 for having eaten some butter. Not being able to think of a delicate way to avoid the awkwardness, I decided to just pay up.

The second infraction happened just this past Saturday. I was at Costco and they have all these samples out and one of the displays caught my eye. It was some stuffed grape leaves and the package said it was dairy free and gluten free. I checked the label and the only thing that jumped out at me was that there is a bit of canola oil. I didn't spot any cheese or sausage or wheat, so it must be OK, right? I tried it and it was pretty tasty. It wasn't until last night that I was reflecting on this and realized I had just eaten a mouthful of RICE, a grain. So, this morning, I paid Diana another $20, but I have a package of those grape leaves in my freezer and I am very excited about eating them at some point in February.

Qwertz asked me about cravings. I really only had two cravings during this experiment: 1) sushi and 2) pizza. Wait. Three cravings: cheese. The sushi craving was really just because sushi is tasty and sometimes that was what I was in the mood to eat, so it was very easy to ignore and it came and went. Same thing with the cheese. The pizza craving was pure insanity, though. Pizza wasn't a very regular thing for me before The Whole 30 and I don't intend for it to be a regular thing after it. But for some reason there was about two or three weeks there when I just wanted to eat half of a fresh Papa John's pepperoni pizza and dip the crust in their cocaine-laced cheese sauce. Mmmmmmm... [Note: as far as I know, there is no actual cocaine in any of Papa John's products.]

Giving up alcohol was easy-peasy. I thought it might be tougher than it turned out to be just because it's so easy to have a glass of wine with dinner or a manhattan after a tough day at the office. But it really wasn't. It was just mildly difficult on date nights, really, when a glass of wine would be regarded as a given. But I managed.

Really, eating out was a huge pain in the ass.

Me: Hi, there! I'm looking at the menu and I'm wondering if the Cheese Bacon Extravaganza has any dairy in it.

Server: Um. Yeah. It has cheese. Why?

Me: Hm. Well, I can't have dairy.

Server: What about the Poodle Noodle-Roni Explosion Fest?

Me: I can't have gluten, either. Well, any grains actually.

Server: Grains?

Me: Yeah. Wheat, corn, barley, rice, etc.

Server: Oh. Well, maybe you could have a side of black beans.

Me: Can't have beans either. Any legumes, actually.

Server: Sounds like you need a drink.

Me: Actually...

Server: Don't tell me.

Me: Yup.

Server: Should I feel sad right now because you have some kind of horrible disease?

Me: No, it's more like a bet.

Health-wise, how did things turn out?

I started cutting gluten out of my diet a couple years ago or so and saw a huge improvement in my digestion. As things were, I had a doctor once who tried to say I had "irritable bowel syndrome." But most of the time when I hear the word "syndrome," I think, "So, you don't know what the problem is." Which is what got me to tinkering with my diet and reducing gluten seems to have been the key. Mysteriously, while on The Whole 30, I had a week there where my poor digestion returned for a bit. It was very uncomfortable and unpleasant. At first I was completely mystified as to what could be the cause. And then I deduced that the culprit was a huge batch of chicken soup that I made which included cabbage. Cabbage, you may or may not know, is high in fiber. I do not have any issues with fiber and getting a whole bunch of it at once has distressing results. Yeah, so, note to self: don't eat so much cabbage all at once.

I did lose weight, though. I didn't get down as far as I wanted, but a couple of people noted that I am visibly slimmer than I was in December. I know I wasn't supposed to weigh myself at all during The Whole 30, but I did. I lost about ten lbs in the first couple of weeks and then week three there really wasn't much change. And then in the last week I had another drop in weight.

Ready for the before and after?

	Before	After	Change
Height:	6’1.5″	6’1.5″	-
Weight:	206.4 lbs	194.6lbs	-11.8lbs
Fat:	18.3%	15.2%	-3.1 pts
Water:	61.2%	63.4%	+2.2 pts

And here are the pics:

Before: Jan 1, 2012

After: Feb 1, 2012

Not terrible. From what I've read, healthy weight-loss should not progress any faster than roughly 3lbs a week (give or take), so a loss of about 12lbs is respectable here. (I weighed myself on the morning of the 29th and I was down to 192lbs!) I should note that I actually did NOT do CrossFit this month. Due to business travel and some confusion/conflicts with the trainer schedule I was not able to go through my new gym's onramp training until later. In fact, I completed it today and can start CrossFit tomorrow. So, all those visits to the gym that I made were really all about conditioning. My usual routine was simply to walk a quarter mile at a comfortable pace, jog for a mile at a pace I could maintain for the whole distance (I started at 6mph and can now go at 7mph without too much trouble), and then do two rounds of 10 situps, 10 pushups, and 10 squats as quickly as I could muster. My objective wasn't to build muscle or burn fat but simply to get my heart and lungs accustomed to working hard for a spell.

So, I think The Whole 30 was an interesting experience. It definitely helped to tighten up my diet a bit and get back into exercise.

Am I likely to do it again? No, probably not. Not unless I can anticipate a month of eating by myself at home where I can control all the ingredients and everything.

Making Taking Care of My Body a Priority in the Craziness that is Grad School

2012-02-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted at Reepicheep's Coracle)

This semester has been SO crazy. I am loving it, doing all the things I love most (reading, writing, reading about writing, writing about reading, you know the super fun stuff), but I am busier than I have ever been with Livy and Aaron and ATLOS to think of on top of school and work.

Somehow in all the insanity, my healthy habits have gone away. I am never home during the week, so I don't cook. Instead, I've been eating fast food in the car and bar food at school WAY too often.

Instead of my long walks of last semester, I have been sitting on my behind, writing and writing and writing. When I have a break, instead of getting outside, I find myself frantically checking things off my to-do list. I'm getting about the same amount of sunlight as Aaron, for god's sake, and he's a computer programmer.

I've gained weight, and I feel yucky. I am pushing myself harder than ever before, and I am not fueling my body properly or exercising to relieve stress or sleeping enough.

So, I am making a change. I am unable to make a big change because I have way too much to do. But I am making small changes to get back on a healthier track.

I started a yoga class, which is active and also gives me some much needed stress relief (thanks, Tori!). I've been going one day a week for 3 weeks and like it so much that I am thinking of adding an extra day a week. As soon as Aaron sets up the DVD player in the new introvert-proof living room, I will add some weekend yoga with Livy.

I am going to start taking some shorter walks during my school breaks. Walks that I can do in 30 minutes. Walks that I can do in nice slacks or a dress. I do not have to walk for hours to make it worthwhile to do it. The perfect is the enemy of the good when it comes to walks (as in so much else).

I am going to start packing food for the day. Today I brought a cooler with lunch and dinner in it, simple stuff that doesn't require cooking. I may have to live with less variety if I am not willing to cook, but at least it will be healthy food that can fuel the pace of this semester. Today, I have ham, cheese, veggies and hummus, a frozen hamburger patty, and a salad. Not perfectly paleo, but a lot better than Taco Bell.

I am going to try to get more sleep by going to bed earlier on Mondays and Wednesdays (the days before my earliest days). It's hard to do that and still see Aaron much, but even an hour would help.

I'm trying not to focus on the weight I've gained or how I want to look or how I want my clothes to fit. Those things are fine, but not the most important. In a semester this busy, I only have time to think about the things that I value most and ruthlessly cut out the other. So body image issues have to go. Instead, my focus will be on giving my body the food, exercise, and sleep it needs to make me the brainiest, most energetic teacher and scholar that composition theory and writing center studies has ever seen.

Video: Overcoming Perfectionism

2012-02-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast, I discussed overcoming perfectionism. This is a challenge for lots of people, including with regard to food! The question was:

What is the problem with and solution to perfectionism? Lately, I've realized that I might have a problem with "perfectionism" – meaning that I hold myself to unrealistically high standards in some areas of my life. For example, I feel like I should be much more productive, to the point of being unrealistic about what I can do in a day. What's the basic error of such perfectionism? And what can I do to overcome it?

My answer, in brief:

For a person to seek perfection, based on rational standards that take account of his particular context, is often good. Perfectionism, however, means doing so based on out-of-context or unrealistic standards of perfection. A person with perfectionist tendencies needs to identify them, then think and act consistently based on standards appropriate to his purpose – whether seeking perfection, good enough, or merely adequate.

Here's the video of my full answer:

Objectivist Links

2012-02-11T09:00:00.001-07:00

As part of Modern Paleo's weekend schedule of blogging on Objectivism on Saturdays and free market politics on Sundays, I like to post a link to The Objectivist Roundup. The Objectivist Roundup is a weekly blog carnival for Objectivists. Contributors must be Objectivists, but posts on any topic are welcome, including posts on food and health.

The Playful Spirit hosted this week's Objectivist Roundup. If you're interested in seeing the latest and best from Objectivist bloggers, go take a look!

Also, in my live Philosophy in Action Webcast on Sunday morning, I'll answer questions on low passion for career, patriotism as a virtue, artificial intelligence, boycotting chick-fil-a, and more. As always, it's on Sunday, 12 February 2012 at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET at www.PhilosophyInAction.com/live. Please join us for this hour of lively discussion, where we apply rational principles to the challenges of living virtuous, happy, and free lives!

Here are the questions that I'll answer this week:

Question 1: Low Passion for Career: What should I do if I have a good job but not burning professional ambition? I have a good job that pays well. I perform my job well to the best of my ability. But I don't feel about it the same way that Howard Roark felt about the field of architecture in The Fountainhead or that Dagny felt about the railroad business in Atlas Shrugged. I don't hate my job – I do enjoy the work and the people I work with. But it's not my burning passion. On a scale of 1-to-10, my paying job (and the overall field) is a 7, but I also have various non-paying outside hobbies and activities that are more of a 8 or 9 for me. Should I try to cultivate a strong passion for my paying job? Or look for a different line of work? Or ramp up my pursuit of various hobbies and outside activities that give my greater satisfaction on the side?

Question 2: Patriotism as a Virtue: Is patriotism a virtue? Is patriotism towards America a virtue? Should a person "love America" – or is that just jingoistic nationalism?

Question 3: Artificial Intelligence: Is artificial intelligence possible? Can consciousness be created on a purely logical system such as a computer? Might consciousness and even free will somehow "emerge" out of a purely logical system? Also, what do you think of the "Turing Test" as a test of intelligence?

Question 4: Boycotting Chick-Fil-A: Should people boycott Chick-Fil-A for its hostility to gays? The fast food chain Chick-Fil-A is well-known for its promotion of Christian values. In recent years, the company has actively worked against gay marriage, in alliance with other organizations promoting the imposition of biblical commands by law. More generally, the company is hostile to same-sex couples. Given that Chick-Fil-A uses money from customers and shareholders to promote theocracy and other rights-violations, should people condemn and boycott the chain?

The Paleo Rodeo #099

2012-02-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

A "paleo" approach to health uses the evolutionary history of homo sapiens, plus the best of modern science, as a broad framework for guiding daily choices about diet, fitness, medicine, and supplementation. The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

The purpose of The Paleo Rodeo is to highlight some of the best blogging of the ever-growing paleosphere.

Here is this week's edition:

Tony Federico presents Mocha Chip Smoothie posted at FED - Fitness in an Evolutionary Direction, saying, "Leftover coffee transformed into a cool, creamy smoothie."

Diana Hsieh presents SuperSlow Update: The Second Sheet posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Here's my second progress report on my SuperSlow workouts, after another 16 sessions. I'm still loving it!"

Ruth Almon presents Even Lipitor Doesn't Think Lipitor Can Help You posted at Ruth's Real Food, saying, "I knew lipitor was bad, but I didn't know they admitted it."

Kris presents What Gluten is and Why You Should Care posted at Kris Health Blog, saying, "Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and a few other grains. It is popular as a food additive, and may cause adverse side effects in humans."

Meghan Little presents Paleo Cauliflower "Grits", A Creamy, Savory Side with Bacon posted at Paleo Effect, saying, "These grits are creamy and perfect under our skirt steak and vegetables! Try this and more at www.paleoeffect.com or find us on Facebook!"

Crystal Meadows presents Super Bowl posted at Against the Grain, saying, "The Super Bowl of CrossFit is coming, and it starts with the Open. Are you competing?"

Nell Stephenson presents Oh, The Controversy? posted at Paleoista.

Laurie Donaldson presents First Amendment Rights - There is No Money in Getting People Well posted at Food for Primal Thought, saying, "How fitting that the code word that came up to submit this post was "emancipation.""

Suz Robinson presents The Paleo Guide to Australia posted at The Paleo Network, saying, "Everything you need to know about leading a Paleo lifestyle in Australia and New Zealand"

Jedha presents Delicious, Easy Crockpot Beef Stew posted at Paleo Diet Blog, saying, "5th Episode of the New Paleo Cooking Show that shows people how easy it is to cook up delicious paleo meals."

Julia Campbell presents baked spanish chicken wings with almond sauce posted at the crankin' kitchen!, saying, "crispy baked red wine-marinated chicken wings with a garlicky almond sauce. ohhh man, so good."

Ana Johnson presents The Amazon Jungle with a French Twist posted at Whole Life Diets.

Riki Shore presents Fennel-Dusted Pork Spare Ribs posted at Three Squares, saying, "Delicious and easy to make!"

Angie presents Paleo/Primal Scones posted at Angie's Suburban Oasis, saying, "I have found my new favorite treat: Scones topped with coconut cream and fruit! These scones are made with coconut flour and almond flour and hit the spot when you need a little something decadent for breakfast or any time throughout the day."

Neely Quinn presents My Blood Work On A Paleo Diet posted at Paleo Plan.

Peggy Emch presents Paleo Pals by Sarah Fragoso - New Book Review posted at The Primal Parent, saying, "Sarah Fragoso of everyday Paleo just published an awesome kids book. My daughter loved every minute of it, including the recipes at the back!"

Joe Lindley presents The Primal Diet - Nora Gedgaudas, Paleo Diet Reviews, Book posted at Stop Craving Sugar, saying, "In this introductory video for her book, Primal Body Primal Mind, Nora Gedgaudas explains the philosophy behind the "primal" approach to diet and health.It is not, as you might assume, just a simple "go back to the basics with a paleo diet cookbook" idea, but rather a stark realization that our civilized society, food, and environment are posing some real challenges for us in terms of our health."

Eddy presents Get Slim: Eat Less or Eat Different? posted at Health Freak Revolution, saying, "A fundamental concept, central to evolutionary health, which challenges new reader's fundamental beliefs about weight loss."

Meghan Little / Angel Torres presents Paleo Sweet Chili Sauce, A Thai Side for Dipping or Cooking posted at Paleo Effect, saying, "This is an amazing Chili Sauce for dipping or cooking chicken or even wild caught fish. Learn this and other recipes at www.paleoeffect.com"

Chris Tamme presents Patience is the Key to Looking Good Naked posted at Primal Roar.

Patty Strilaeff presents Book Review : Paleo Pals by Sarah Fragoso posted at following my nose..., saying, "A peak inside Paleo Pals from Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo!"

Paul Jaminet presents Pork: Did Leviticus 11:7 Have It Right? posted at Perfect Health Diet, saying, "Pork consumption is associated with high rates of liver disease and MS. I review the evidence here; the next post will look at causes."

Fatisfied presents The Egg's Sunny Side posted at Free Your Fat, saying, "Eat your eggs; they are sunshine in a shell... better yet eat your eggs in the sunshine. Dr. Stephanie Seneff's research redeems the reputation of the egg."

The Cavegirls presents Misto Lasagna and Green Enchilada Chicken posted at Northwest Cavegirls, saying, "Here are a couple of great entrees from Cavegirl Stephanie. Starting with Trader Joe's pre-cooked items make them quick to fix but still oh, so yummy!"

Amy Kubal presents PaleoPals - Jimmy and the Carrot Rocket Ship: Kids like Paleo too! posted at Robb Wolf, saying, "If you've got kids this book is a must!!"

Hadass Eviatar presents If not now, when? posted at My Coat of Many Colours, saying, "On hitting the half-century mark and making some decisions, including a more primal/paleo orientation in life."

Stacy Toth presents Mount Vernon Farm: Humane, Sustainable and an Affordable How-To posted at Paleo Parents, saying, "Our trip to a local grass-fed meat farm. A recap, plus advice on how to afford the highest quality meat!"

Robin presents A Week of Food, for a (mostly) Paleo Family of Four posted at Everymom To Ironmom, saying, "You've seen those photos of what a typical family eats in various countries. The American ones are often full of processed food. But what does a (mostly) Paleo family of four eat? I pulled our weekly shopping out onto the dining room table and detailed what we go through in a week."

J. Stanton presents Big Brains Require An Explanation, Part I posted at GNOLLS.ORG, saying, "What selection pressures caused our ancestors to develop huge, delicate, energetically expensive brains, instead of becoming faster, stronger, or more numerous?"

Question of the Week: Fruit

2012-02-10T09:45:00.004-07:00

The Modern Paleo Question of the Week is:

Do you eat much fruit? If so, what kinds and how much? If not, why not?

Food Elimination Q/A Part Two (Effectiveness)

2012-02-09T08:57:00.001-07:00

I'm doing a lot of work on helping people identify and fix food sensitivities, so I often receive questions related to this. If you have a question, please put it in the comments section, and I will try to answer it in a follow up post. Thanks! /Christian

Q: Do you have any thoughts on the reliability of MRT (“Mediated Release Testing”) vs. other food sensitivity tests?

That's a good question, but it opens up a can of worms!

There are a couple of considerations with regard to “reliability” that we need to discuss, so let's dig in.

I like Mediator Release Testing (MRT) because it saves people a lot of time when trying to pinpoint certain types of food sensitivities that are otherwise quite difficult to detect (for instance, these sensitivities can have delayed symptoms,).

Now, as with all tests, MRT has its inherent limits (for instance, there are many types of food sensitivities that it just cannot discover), and, as with all tests, it can also certainly be abused in many ways when designing therapies based on its results.

The MRT measures a common type of food sensitivities, which are so called “cell-mediated reactions” to food proteins and chemicals.

These reactions (sometimes called “Type IV” sensitivities), which could be thought of as a type of “contact allergy” (think nickel allergy) do not need the involvement of antibodies. This is different from, for example, classic allergies (Type I - e.g., a person dying from exposure to peanuts) or so called IgG delayed sensitivities (Type III), which both involve antibodies that laboratory tests can look for.

So instead of looking for antibodies, MRT measures inflammatory “squirts” of “mediators” that cells produce when exposed to food proteins and chemicals. More squirting equals a higher degree of sensitivity.

Bottom line: What MRT measures is very different from other allergy and food sensitivity tests, and, well, these other tests don’t measure what MRT measures.

To concretize a bit more, MRT cannot discover celiac type gluten sensitivity (or cross reactivity with gluten, e.g, coffee looking like gluten to the body), or issues with lectins. Nor can the MRT discover problems with certain sugars and fibers or “FODMAPS”. (A burp/fart challenge test may be best for these, but I digress!)

However, concerning to the types of sensitivities that MRT does measure (and the other tests don't!), it does so with a high degree of accuracy. (90% according to a clinical study.)

So each type of food sensitivity testing (MRT, IgG, IgE, and many others) or, any other test for that matter, should be considered on its own merits (and limitations) in the context of the person that has the health complaint. (A fantastic idea, isn't it! Forget this under ObamaCare, by the way.)

If your health issues are really tricky, such as if you have autoimmune disease, you could benefit from a whole battery of food sensitivity tests that target different types of sensitivities. The limits mostly being price and the ability of your practitioner to interpret the tests correctly - sometimes more of an art than a science.

Personally, I love the MRT for basically one important and common task, which is that it assists with identifying foods that may cause inflammation of the gut lining (“the intestinal mucosal barrier”) .

This is big, because when the gut lining is perpetually assaulted by foods that cause inflammatory reactions, the stage is set for poor gut flora and intestinal permeability which in turn exacerbates “systemic” (whole body) inflammatory problems (acne, arthritis, migraines, etc), as well as problems with gluten and other types of sensitivities.

Constant inflammatory irritation of the gut lining is also a direct cause of cortisol issues and associated problems such as hormonal imbalances and dangerous visceral fat accumulation. (If you have a cortisol response from eating, you may experience it as a raised pulse rate during or after a meal.)

Now let’s look at two important factors that will determine how effective food elimination based on MRT or other testing technologies might be for you:

The first factor in effectiveness is how much dysfunction related to food sensitivity that you actually have and where exactly. In other words, for instance, the degree of “leaky gut", poor gut flora, or problems with immune function that you have.   These and other "functional" factors determine the degree to which reactive foods may cause problems for you, but these factors cannot be estimated with confidence through food sensitivity tests alone.

For instance, the MRT uses live blood cells which the laboratory exposes directly to food extracts, and for this reason it cannot tell if food proteins actually tend to leak into the blood stream in the process of your normal digestion. (I'm assuming that you don't juice and then inject your foods.)

In practice this means that a person with a high degree of leaky gut who tests reactive to, say, beef may therefore see powerful improvements in overall symptoms when eliminating beef from the menu, whereas another person with little “leakiness” may experience much more subtle improvements even if beef tests highly reactive. (This said, I actually have yet to encounter anyone who hasn’t reported some noticeable improvement, such as a bit of fat loss, after taking out MRT reactive foods for a couple of months.)

The second factor in effectiveness is the total “therapeutic force" applied to repair damage while eliminating reactive foods.

This issue is most often overlooked by people who think that food-elimination is the end-all-be-all. (It can be, but often it is not.)  

All healing, whether it is about healing an annoying paper-cut, or healing an entire digestive tract (or an entire body for that matter), depends on doing enough things right for a long enough time (this is what I call “therapeutic force”) so that a virtuous feedback loop can take hold in the body so that it may heal itself.

To put it differently: One cannot overcome the vicious cycle of a degenerative process without creating at least an equally powerful healing process.

Think of this as the need to use enough force when pushing a boulder up a hill so that it can reach the peak of the hill. Only then may the boulder roll down the slope on the other side.

If you, on the other hand, don’t apply enough (and sufficiently persistent) force to the boulder, you will be like Sisyphus - doomed to roll a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll back down again, and to repeat this for the rest of your life. Not very productive.

So to apply this idea to food sensitivities, it is quite common that people go through Sisyphean torture in the quest for the ultimate elimination diet. For example, people wind up eating extremely restricted diets, such as meat-only diets, or they find themselves stuck in the midst of an ever changing and confusing landscape of food sensitivities and associated symptoms coming and going.

In many cases these types of struggles come from focusing too narrowly on food elimination as the only therapy and therefore from not achieving sufficient “therapeutic force”.

The sticking points may be different from one person to another, but common ones are failure to correct cortisol issues (sleep and stress management are very important); failure to rebalance gut flora (probiotics therapy can accelerate the process); failure to get rid of any pathogens/parasites (very common if intestinal health has been poor for a long time); and the failure to supply enough restorative nutrients (a so called “gut repair protocol” can help tremendously).

Actually, in many cases, after a successful repair process (which can take a year or more) it is often revealed that reactive foods found on food sensitivity tests, particularly if they are “paleo foods” such as meat and veggies, are not actually true root causes of a person’s health problems, but that the foods were merely problematic in the context of dysfunction such as "leaky gut" or a gut flora that was out of balance.

shakshouka with lamb meatballs

2012-02-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

I had wanted to wait to make this until I found merguez. There are actually some promising locations that I'd like to scout out at some point, but none of them are particularly close by and the other day I was feeling frazzled about what to make and I couldn't think of anything else but this, so I just decided to make do without driving all the way across the city. I was also briefly obsessed with trying to make this one Maharashtran Curry recipe. I just knew that if I settled on making that, that I'd spend hours hopping from one Indian grocery to the next in the vain hopes of finding obscure spices. Then I'd come home, headachey, crabby, having wasted all of my good daylight for taking pictures, and then still have nothing to show for it. I'll just have to casually stop by if ever I'm in any of those ethnic, uh, sections of Denver. I'm sure they're very nice. I have eaten at a few Ethiopian places to maybe know otherwise. (But OMGOMGOMG I love Ethiopian food.)

You know what else I love? Getting my hours at work cut, and finding out about it by being flippantly handed a new printed-out schedule as the last item at a staff meeting. "Oh by the way, here are some new hours, thanks everyone back to work." New hours, what like we're open longer? Open on weekends? What? Oh. OH. I see. WTFFFFFFFFFFFFF What boss does that?? THE WORST ONE. It's like out of an office-based comedy. Except it's real. I know you're not supposed to compromise yourself on the interwebs but I hope any future employer (hello? hi!) would sympathize with me. Seriously, anyone want to hire me? I'm very nice. And I can cook. For you if you're nice, too. I will also try extra hard not to talk about politics.

Unfortunately, when I'm stressed I am an emotional un-eater. I don't care about food. Hopefully I'll be feeling less stressed about money and jobs soon. Otherwise, these posts are going to get pretty uninteresting. "boiled frozen chicken sausage", "microwaved frozen broccoli + salt and pepper", "almonds and an apple", "scrambled egg" (actually, I have a lot of opinions on how to make the best scrambled eggs and I probably would like to post about that...)

So the idea behind this recipe was to kind of get the same thing as using merguez, but just make meatballs. I suppose I could have just made straight up shakshouka, which is simply eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. But ohh lamb, how I love you. Especially when I find you discounted because you're about to be rotten. And when I can make you into mini meatballs and simmer you in tomato sauce and eat you with runny egg yolk.

shakshouka
serves about 6

meatballs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
3 garlic cloves, pressed
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, roughly crushed
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon cumin
liberal sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 - 1 lb ground lamb

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 teaspoons ras el hanout (I sure hope you've gotten/made some and changed your life!)
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
28 oz can of whole tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 eggs
parsley leaves, chopped

1. Mix parsley and spices together, then add ground meat, mix thoroughly. Form into meatballs - I made them mini, about 1 inch in diameter. Just 'cause.

2. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, sauté for about 4-5 minutes, until soft and beginning to brown.

3. Add the meatballs and sauté until there are nice brown spots on them, about 5 minutes.

4. Add ras el hanout and paprika and stir to toast just a little. Pour in the canned tomatoes and juice, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hand. Bring to a low simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Crack in the eggs, spacing evenly. Cover and cook until just set, about 5 minutes. uncover and gently baste the whites with tomato sauce, being careful not to break the yolks.

Using a ladle, carefully spoon out an egg along with a good amount of the tomato sauce and meatballs. Top with parsley and bask in the glory of cutting open that egg.

And please pay me to blog.

SuperSlow Update: The Second Sheet

2012-02-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

As you might recall, I quit doing CrossFit for SuperSlow in May for the reasons detailed in this post. (SuperSlow means resistance training to failure of major muscle groups using slow movements once per week.) In October, I posted my first progress report based on 16 sessions of training. Now I'm past due for the second progress report... so here it is!

I completed this 16-session sheet in early January. (Click to enlarge.)

Here's a summary of my progress on various movements, starting from Session 16 from Sheet 1 to Session 32 on Sheet 2. All the machines are Nautilus, except the the lower back, the torso rotation, and the funky ab cruncher hold machines, which are MedX. My trainer added a few new machines, so now most movements are done every other session. (In fact, only Leg Press and Lower Back are done every session.) Also, the order is switched around with every sheet, and that makes a huge difference in my ability to progress on a given machine.

Every week:

LB: Lower Back: 150 to 160 lbs. I'm happy with my steady progress. I like being able to increase by 2 lb increments on this machine. (The Nautilus machines increment by 5 lbs only.)
LP: Leg Press: 225 to 260 lbs. The leg press is definitely my focus with every workout. During this sheet, I had to really focus on staying calm, as I was tending to panic as I reached failure. As a result, I made some speedy progress in the middle of the sheet. Overall, I'm pleased with my progress, but mostly, I'm eager to get to 300 lbs!

Every other week:

Hip AB: Hip Abduction: 75 to 90 lbs. I made good progress in the beginning, but I leveled out in the last few sessions.
Hip AD: Hip Adduction: 105 to 115 lbs. Okay progress.
Lower Back (see above)
Leg Press (see above)
Row: Row: 50 to 65 lbs. I alternate between pulling and a 2 minute static hold. I've made progress, but I still need to work on my form.
CP: Chest Press: 55 to 65 lbs. I was stalled on my first sheet due to my seat position being too high. My trainer corrected that, so I've made some progress on this sheet. I'm pleased about that, but I want to do more.
PD: Lat Pull-Down: Steady at 115 lbs. This movement was near the end of my workout on this sheet, and I just couldn't make any progress whatsoever.
Ab C: Ab Crunch: Steady at 15 lbs. This movement is not only last, but also makes me feel like I can't breathe. Fun!

Every other week:

Rot T: Rotate Torso: 38 to 48 lbs. Every other week. My form is better, and I'm pleased with my progress.
New MXCP: (Funky MedX Ab Cruncher Hold): 65 to 75 lbs: Okay progress.
Lower Back (see above)
Leg Press (see above)
New: Bicep: 30 lbs to 40 lbs: Some progress, but I want more!
New: Tricep: 65 to 80 lbs: Good progress!
LE/LC: Leg Extension: Steady at 50 lbs. This movement was at the very end of my workout, and I struggled with it. The contraction hurts, just due to the nerve endings in the muscle, and I've been working on staying calm despite that. (LC is a 90-second Leg Curl of progressive intensity against a stable frame.)

I've learned a few things in these 16 sessions of training.

Sleep matters to my performance... hugely! I need to have a few good nights of sleep under my belt for a good workout. (Sleep is hugely important to my adrenal function too.)
The order of machines has a huge impact on whether I make progress or not on any given machine. If I have a strong performance on the leg press, I might not be able to make any progress on any machine after that.
I can often go for a rep or two beyond what my trainer supposes. I love doing that. Once, I was telling my trainer that I thought I might have been able to do another rep on the leg press, and as I got out of the machine, I fell to the ground because I was literally unable to hold up my own weight. That was pretty awesome.
At the end of my first sheet, I was having some problems with being ridiculously exhausted after my workout. I've solved that problem in two ways. First, I run any errands before my workout, so that I'm not attempting to haul around 60 pounds of meat from Costco just after the workout. Second, I take 15 to 20 minutes to sit down in the waiting area after my workout. I drink my coconut water, and I chill out. That really helps.

A number of people have told me that they'd like to do SuperSlow, but they've not been able to find a gym in their area. That's definitely a problem, and I'm lucky to have such an awesome SuperSlow gym just 30 minutes from home. (For me, that's nearby!) If that's your situation, then I'd recommend trying to find a personal trainer willing to do the SuperSlow / Body by Science method. Sure, it's possible to work on your own, but I wouldn't have made nearly the progress that I have without a trainer to push me to my absolute limit.

Also, if you decide to try my SuperSlow gym in south Denver, please tell them that I referred you!

coda alla vaccinara

2012-02-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, when does it start to get obnoxious with my foreign language recipe titles. But I feel like this one is warranted, as it's supposedly some sort of time-honored Roman stew. In case you're wondering and haven't translate-widgeted it yet, it's oxtail. My first time making something with an oxtail! I'd seen it fresh before at my little meat market that I go to to get my kitties' food, but didn't have anything in mind for it at the time. So I went back this past weekend to get it - never a good idea there, because their stock of odd bits is seemingly unpredictable - but only found it in the freezer. No big deal, except I was a little impatient in letting it defrost fully before starting this recipe. Hey, I've got limited daylight hours to get some somewhat decent pictures. The stinkin' oxtails defrosted quick enough in the pot.

Oxtail is a strange cut of meat. It's mostly bone and some weird collagen, but it becomes super wonderful and fun to eat after simmering for hours. The end of the tail was my most favorite. The texture is hard to describe, but the bit of collagenmeat on them was delicious, and since the pieces are small you can pick them up with your fingers and they don't go flying across the table, like some of the larger pieces did a couple times. Whether you try to use just your hands or a fork, those larger pieces are a little unwieldy no matter what.

The oxtails I bought weren't trimmed, which gave me a bit of a hard time (because, you know I hadn't totally defrosted them), but I got a ton of fat chunks that I made tallow with. I currently have jars of schmaltz, lard, lard from those carnitas, bacon grease, and now tallow in my kitchen. I need a few more birds and then I'll feel so complete! Ultimately, though, my oxtail pieces were still a little too fatty and I'll definitely make more of an effort to trim them better next time. The recipe I used said to have whole ribs of celery. I liked this idea - it sounded real rustic, but the celery ended up being incredibly hard to eat and kind of embarrassing when I was trying to eat it for lunch at work and the ribs just balled up in my mouth because I couldn't saw through the strings with my teeth. Maybe I needed to stew them for longer? Or maybe avoid that altogether and cut them into manageable pieces?

coda alla vaccinara
adapted from Saveur, serves about 6

4 lbs. 2 1/2" oxtail pieces, trimmed of most fat around the outsides
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or guanciale, minced
6 celery ribs (5 whole, 1 minced)
5 whole cloves
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, minced
1 small white onion, minced
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1⁄4 cups red wine, such as chianti
1 28-ounce can of whole peeled plum tomatoes,preferably San Marzano, undrained and crushed by hand
1⁄8 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to taste

1. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oxtails and cook, turning once, until browned, 8–10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

2. Put pancetta, minced celery, cloves, garlic, carrots, onions, and bay leaf into the Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5–6 minutes.

3. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cook until mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the oxtails, the hand-crushed tomatoes, and 1 1⁄2 cups water. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

6. Add whole celery (or the chopped celery) and cook over medium heat, uncovered, until celery is tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and season with salt and pepper.

Skim some of the pools of fat from the top (this will be easier after you've refrigerated the leftovers). Serve oxtails with sauce on top and the celery ribs or pieces. Don't be afraid to get messy eating this!

This was originally posted at my blog, the crankin' kitchen!

Video: What's Wrong with Being Pragmatic?

2012-02-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

In Sunday's Philosophy in Action Webcast, I discussed being pragmatic. The question was:

What's wrong with being pragmatic? My dictionary defines being pragmatic as "dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations." What's wrong with that, if anything? Is that the same as "pragmatism"?

My answer, in brief:

Pragmatism is a philosophic view that rejects thinking long-range and on-principle in favor of short-term expediency. However, many people just use the term to mean "practical," and others are honestly confused by all the bad theories and principles rampant in the culture.

Here's the video of my full answer:

Objectivist Links

2012-02-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

As part of Modern Paleo's weekend schedule of blogging on Objectivism on Saturdays and free market politics on Sundays, I like to post a link to The Objectivist Roundup. The Objectivist Roundup is a weekly blog carnival for Objectivists. Contributors must be Objectivists, but posts on any topic are welcome, including posts on food and health.

Rational Jenn hosted this week's Objectivist Roundup. If you're interested in seeing the latest and best from Objectivist bloggers, go take a look!

Also, in my live Philosophy in Action Webcast on Sunday morning, I'll answer questions on overcoming perfectionism, false but beneficial ideas, possessiveness in romance, term limits for politicians, and more. As always, it's on Sunday, 5 February 2012 at 8 am PT / 9 am MT / 10 am CT / 11 am ET at www.PhilosophyInAction.com/live. Please join us for this hour of lively discussion, where we apply rational principles to the challenges of living virtuous, happy, and free lives!

Here are the questions that I'll answer this week:

Question 1: Overcoming Perfectionism: What is the problem with and solution to perfectionism? Lately, I've realized that I might have a problem with "perfectionism" – meaning that I hold myself to unrealistically high standards in some areas of my life. For example, I feel like I should be much more productive, to the point of being unrealistic about what I can do in a day. What's the basic error of such perfectionism? And what can I do to overcome it?

Question 2: False But Beneficial Ideas: Should you just keep quiet when a friend's bad philosophy works for him? If someone you know pretty well believes in something mystical, such as "The Law of Attraction" (from "The Secret"), or "The Power of Prayer," and this has helped them move their outlook on life toward a benevolent universe premise, and they are more productive and happier, is it better to leave them with their faulty metaphysics and avoid the topic, or should you try to show them the error? What do you say when they start trying to convince you of the truth of their view?

Question 3: Possessiveness in Romance: Is possessiveness wrong in a romantic relationship? I have a drawback: I'm extremely possessive. I expect that the person who loves and understands me – he being the only one who understands me – should be mine and only mine. I can accept other women in his life and contain my jealousy on the condition that he reveals to me every single of them who was, is, or will be. But he should love me the most. And I expect that he should stay with me till the end and that we spend the last days together reflecting on the past and life. Am I wrong in expecting all that from my partner? If so, what can I do to change?

Question 4: Term Limits for Politicians: Are term limits necessary and proper for good government? Many people – usually conservatives – claim that term limits are essential to liberty. They say that the Founders never intended to have career politicians, and they blame the growth of government on those career politicians and their pork projects. Do you support term limits? Are they an important restraint on the growth of government?

The Paleo Rodeo #098

2012-02-03T11:00:00.002-07:00

A "paleo" approach to health uses the evolutionary history of homo sapiens, plus the best of modern science, as a broad framework for guiding daily choices about diet, fitness, medicine, and supplementation. The core of paleo is the diet: it eschews grains, sugars, and modern vegetable oils in favor of high-quality meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables.

The purpose of The Paleo Rodeo is to highlight some of the best blogging of the ever-growing paleosphere.

Here is this week's edition:

Julianne Taylor presents Another take on the study that shows a high protein diet leads to more weight gain posted at Julianne's Paleo & Zone Nutrition Blog, saying, "This study recently hit the headlines as it showed that when people were overfed, those that ate more protein gained the most weight. Of course the weight was lean mass, however what interested me was that people gained 3kg lean mass in just 8 - 10 weeks. How much protein did they eat to achieve this?"

Suz Robinson presents 8 Criticisms of the Paleo Diet posted at The Paleo Network, saying, "In the interests of being honest, I felt it only fair to list 8 criticisms I have about the paleo primal lifestyle..."

Tony Federico presents Paleo "Cookie Dough" posted at FED - Fitness in an Evolutionary Direction, saying, "A tasty low-carb treat without grain or wheat!"

Ruth Almon presents Is Your Microwave Really Safe? - An Experiment posted at Ruth's Real Food, saying, "Ever wonder if microwaves are safe? I do. I decided to conduct a little experiment."

Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan presents Book Club: The Gifts of Imperfection posted at theclothesmakethegirl, saying, "In February, I'm running a virtual book club to read Brene Brown's excellent "The Gifts of Imperfection." Join us!"

Kris presents 10 Reasons to Eat Saturated Fat (That Dietitians Choose to Ignore) posted at Kris Health Blog, saying, "This article lists 10 valid reasons to eat saturated fat, which doesn't raise heart disease risk, may protect against stroke, and tastes like a million bucks."

Ana Johnson presents The Wheat Series- Part 4: Wheat and Your Mind posted at Whole Life Diets, saying, "My series on wheat and its multiple effects."

Neely Quinn presents Q&A: Can't Find "Grass-Fed" Pig or Chicken... posted at Paleo Plan.

Christian Wernstedt presents Food Elimination Q/A Part One (Is food elimination for life?) posted at Modern Paleo, saying, "Is food elimination for life? It depends! I discuss the issues that determine this."

Meghan Little presents Paleo Cocktail Meatballs, A Super Bowl or Game Day Appetizer Favorite posted at Paleo Effect, saying, "These Cocktail Meatballs are perfect for the Super Bowl! Try them with our variety of Chicken Wings and Ranch Dipping Sauce! Great with our Chili for a full Game Day Party!"

Nell Stephenson presents No, You Are Not "Doomed" to be Fat posted at Paleoista.

Julia Campbell presents oven-crisped yuca fries with lime posted at the crankin' kitchen!, saying, "yuca, how i love thee."

Eddy presents Moral Health: Questioning Vegetarianism posted at Health Freak Revolution, saying, "Most of you guys know that vegetarianism actually harms more animals/nature than hunter gatherer diets... but this is a reminder for all your non-paleo friends and stumblers that both morally and nutritionally it doesn't stack up...."

M presents The Whole30 Recap: EVERY SINGLE DAY posted at Nom Nom Paleo, saying, "I just finished my second Whole30. Wanna see what I ate EVERY SINGLE DAY?"

Jennifer Hunt presents Forget a Whole30, I'd settle for a Whole1 posted at Vibrant Sexy Strong, saying, "The Whole30 was a source of anxiety and I couldn't stay on track until I turned it into 30 Whole1s."

Nancy Atwell presents How Do You Know You're Eating the Right Mix/Proportions of Ancestral Foods? posted at Ancestral Crone.

Peggy Emch presents Being Primal and Artistic Desire - What is Art to Your New Level Headed Self? posted at The Primal Parent.

Kelly Elmore presents Reepicheep's Coracle: Making Taking Care of My Body a Priority in the Craziness that is Grad School posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "This post is about my plans for getting back on track during an insanely busy semester."

Sean Booth presents Busy week... also Kraut! posted at Old Fashioned Upgrades, saying, "An easy way to throw together a delicious sauerkraut in just a few minutes!"

Amy Kubal presents Life After Day 30... posted at Robb Wolf, saying, "The 30 Day Challenge is over. Now what??"

Beth Mazur presents Quote of the day posted at Weight Maven, saying, "this video by Stefani Bardin is an intriguing look at what happens (or doesn't happen) to processed food in our digestive tract."

Chris Tamme presents Less is More posted at Primal Roar, saying, "A drastic change in diet requires an equally drastic change in fitness."

Holly presents How To Meal Plan Part One: Pre-Work posted at Holly Would If She Could, saying, "Part One in a series about how I manage my Paleo Kitchen. Doesn't everyone like a peek into how other people get it done?"

Fatisfied presents Is Chicken Poo For You? posted at Free Your Fat

Lea presents AntiGravity Yoga at Core Connection Studio posted at Paleo Spirit, saying, "My experience with AntiGravity Yoga which combines traditional yoga principles with elements from aerial acrobatics, dance, Pilates and calisthenics."

Andy presents What Is Gut Flora? posted at feel awesome, saying, "Basics of gut health."

Jedha presents Food Diary: Day 1 posted at Paleo Diet Blog, saying, "This month I start a 29 day visual food diary to help people see what wonderful paleo meals you can eat as part of your diet."

Melissa Fritcher presents Day 5 & 6 #21DSD; Flame-Thrower Turkey #Paleo posted at Less of Mimi, saying, "EPIC Paleo Meal Time w/ Flame-Thrower Turkey. Plus a little muscle-up inspiration."

Robin presents The Whole30 Paleo: My January Experience posted at Everymom To Ironmom, saying, "In January, I decided to take on the Whole30 Paleo challenge. Here's a recap of what I learned about fueling an Ironman training schedule on strict Paleo. Some things worked well, and some I will have to tweak to keep my body in peak performance."

Joe Lindley presents What Is Insulin Resistance, Symptoms of Insulin Resistance, Diabetes posted at Stop Craving Sugar..., saying, "Insulin Resistance. While many people are unfamiliar with this term, it has become a heavy obstacle to face for those who have been diagnosed with Diabetes or in losing weight."

Crystal Meadows presents I Don't Want to be Rude... posted at Against the Grain.

Paul Jaminet presents Higher Carb Dieting: Pros and Cons posted at Perfect Health Diet, saying, "Beginning with Ray Peat's ideas, I look at whether there is an argument for higher carb (up to 50%) dieting."

Question of the Week: Alcohol

2012-02-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

The Paleo Question of the Week is:

Has eating paleo affected your liquor consumption? If so, how and why?

Snowboard Girl, Powered by Bacon

2012-02-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had a great four days of snowboarding in Beaver Creek, then one final day of skiing. Much to my delight, the third day offered six inches of glorious powder -- and that much powder transforms snowboarding from "yay fun!" to "OMG OMG OMG THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!"

My snowboarding skills are definitely improving with every day on the slopes. (These were days five through eight on a snowboard.) My turns are much better: I can do pretty flat s-curves down the milder slopes, and I can do turns on steeper slopes now too. I'm able to get off the lifts reliably, thank goodness. I'm only falling on occasion now too.

Interestingly, I'm pretty much ambidextrous on the snowboard. I'm goofy-footed, mostly because the inflamed nerve (morton's neuroma) in the ball of my right foot is happier when strapped in full-time. However, I'm happy to go down the slope with left or right foot forward, and my turns are equally good (or bad) on either side. That flexibility is good: I can face whichever way makes the most sense given the terrain, not based on my own body's preferences.

I snowboarded or skied for four to five hours every day. I was tired by that, but not wildly exhausted. (The only exception was the first day, but that involved waking up early and driving three hours to Beaver Creek, then snowboarding.) Also, I was sore after the first day or two in my quads, but that faded. That tells me that my 20 minute SuperSlow workouts once per week are keeping me in as good shape as CrossFit did.

By the time we went home, the only thing that hurt was the backs of my knees. I couldn't figure out why... until I realized that the problem was likely my construction-style knee pads, because the main strap wrapped around the backs of my knees. I've ordered knew knee pads, so hopefully those will work without causing strain.

Finally, due to my still-super-strict elimination diet, I cooked all of our meals in the kitchen of the condo. We usually had bacon and grapefruit for breakfast. (Hence, the caption on on the picture!) Paul had coffee, and I had my cinnamon hot cocoa. I packed some meat (ham or leftovers), plus sweet potato for lunch. Then we had yummy dinners: slow-cooked pork ribs, roast chicken, pork roast, and so on. That worked really well: I kept strictly to my diet, and I enjoyed what we ate. Also, we probably saved a few hundred dollars, since eating out anywhere neat Beaver Creek is ridiculously expensive.

Overall, I'm really happy that I took up snowboarding this season. I'm enjoying the challenge of learning a new snow sport, particularly that difficult process of forcing myself by sheer will to overcome my fears. (I hope to write more about that later.) Mostly...

YAY FUN!