In the Zone

People are reading my blog and seeing the food I eat at uni, and they're starting to ask me about primal eating and Zone. Awesome! I love talking about this stuff!! Mostly because it's made such a difference to my life, but also because I find it really interesting. But it's not always easy to explain over a Funky Green Smoothie in the staffroom, so for those who want to know more, here's a great link to a free article from Crossfit Journal...
http://journal.crossfit.com/2004/05/zone-meal-plans-crossfit-journ.tpl

I've also noticed that, upon hearing about primal eating, most people's first questions are a) how do you feel full without starchy carbs?; and b) what do you eat for breakfast?

When it comes to feeling full, my own personal experience is that, as long as I include enough 'good' fat and plenty of veges in my meal, feeling satisfied is almost guaranteed. What I don't get, is the heavy, 'I've eaten too much and I feel gross' feeling that I used to get with starchy carbs. But really, who enjoys feeling like that on a regular basis?

For a good, simple guide to primal eating, check out this post from Mark's Daily Apple...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/definitive-guide-to-the-primal-eating-plan/

As for the second concern, there are plenty of options! We love bacon, eggs, avocado, spinach & tomato; smoothies (I've posted one recipe, happy to post more if people want?); paleo pancakes (also posted already). Others go for fruit, nuts & yoghurt...or even a steak! As an example of a primal, zone friendly breakfast, here's a recipe for one of our real favourites - N-oatmeal (or 'faux porridge', for the Brits out there). This recipe was posted on Mark's Daily Apple, and then Jojo Ninja played with it to make it meet her Zone requirements. It's amazing!

N-oatmeal

1/3 mashed banana (I use 1/2 if it's a small banana)

3.5 tbsp LSA (Linseed, Sunflower, & Almond mix)

1/2 tbsp almond butter

5 tbsp coconut cream

1 egg

1/2 tbsp PURE maple syrup (I leave this out & add extra fresh fruit - blueberries are good - before serving instead)

(1 block protein, 2 blocks carbs - if you use the maple syrup or add extra fruit, 5 blocks fat)

Whisk together eggs and coconut cream VERY well. Give your mashed banana and almond butter a really good mix and add it to the egg mix, then stir in LSA. Warm in a saucepan on a super low heat. Stir frequently, and don’t let it heat up too quickly or the egg will scramble, and that’s not good!

Yesterday, I added some cinnamon and some mixed spice to it whilst heating.Then, before serving, added chopped up white peach & some cooked bacon (for another block of protein). BOOM! If you can't get your head around that combo, think the sweet/spicy/savoury flavour mix that you got back in the days you used to order french toast with bacon & fresh fruit for brunch... ;-)

This also reheats really well in the microwave - just add a bit of water & stir frequently.

How to kill your boyfriend in two easy steps...

What sort of a ninja would I be if I didn't have at least one post about killing? So here's my first 'death' post...

You've all heard of 'Death by 10 metres', right? [If you haven't, quickly check out this link, and then you will have] Well, last night, Bear experienced 'Death by Lettuce'. Step 1: try to make up 5 blocks of carbs using mostly lettuce, some tomato, & a carrot. Step 2: eat it, for time.

Seriously, it was a lot of salad. What looked like a pretty reasonable amount for a 2 block meal (mine), suddenly became a Hero Workout as a 5 block meal. True story.

Honestly, I thought we'd be up half the night. 'Can we go to bed now?', 'No, I'm still eating salad'...'How about now?', 'Nope, still going...'. Thankfully, we weren't. Like the trooper that he is, Bear ploughed through it and called time at 19 minutes and 56 seconds...just squeezing in before the 20 minute time cap. Shot baby - you're a star.

Ok, seriously now...we are trying to keep meals reasonably simple this week while we get our heads around Zone, which meant naked burgers and salad for dinner last night. I wasn't going to post the recipe, because it's not really a recipe and it's not anything mindblowing, but then I figured it might be a quick, simple option for some of you when you're short on time or inspiration [it was also Measuring Fail II, in that I reverted to my old self & completely forgot to measure anything…sorry! I’ll try harder next time]. So here it is...

Quick & easy naked burgers

700g beef mince

1 egg (to bind)

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

Dried thyme

Dried oregano

Dried parsley

Hot sauce (I used Kaitaia Fire, but Tabasco or similar would also be good)

[Basically, the ingredients were dictated by what I found in Bear’s cupboard. You could use different herbs & spices, although I do recommend you keep the cumin (if you like cumin)…it gives it a nice flavour]

Mix the egg and herbs/spices into the mince with a fork (or your hands, if you like getting dirty).

Divide the mixture into 14 even portions  and form each one into a burger pattie (each pattie is approximately 1 block protein).

Cook in a frypan or on a barbecue - you shouldn't need to add additional fat. Time depends on how well done you like them and the thickness of the patties, but you're probably looking at around 4 or 5 minutes on each side.

Serve with salad...or maybe something else, if you're not game to attempt 'Death by Lettuce'. And babe, we'll find a better way of making up your carb blocks tonight, I promise!