Time for all the New Year's diets

Well, I can definitely tell New Year's is right around the corner, and along with it all the crazy fad diets to help everyone stick to their resolutions. Check out the new "Drive Thru Diet" from Taco Bell. Wow, I can't wait to have a Fresco Burrito Chicken Surpreme. Just look at these fantastic ingredients:

Chicken, Southwest
Chicken Breast Meat With Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning [Salt, Maltodextrin, Spices, Garlic Powder, Chili Pepper, Paprika, Onion Powder, Carrageenan, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Natural Flavoring, Mixed Triglycerides, Yeast, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Syrup Solids, Yeast Extract, Alginates (Sodium, Calcium And/Or Ammonium), Cellulose, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate Used To Protect Quality, Not More Than 2% Silicon Dioxide Added To Prevent Caking, Soybean Oil], Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphates Soy Lecithin (Used As A Processing Aid).Contains Soybean .
Beans
Pinto Beans, Partially Hydrogenated Soy Bean Oil (With TBHQ And Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor) , Salt.
Sauce, Red
Water, Paprika, Modified Corn Starch, Salt, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Spices, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Malic Acid, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Silicon Dioxide As An Anticaking Agent, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid

Sounds delish doesn't it? Good luck to those who try it. I think I'll stick with homemade chicken fajitas with fresh salsa and chunky guacamole. Yum!

Best wishes to everyone for a fantastic New Year! Cheers!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wow, this holiday season has been a tough one! So many goodies, parties, dinners, outings, etc. I try to tell myself that it's ok to indulge a bit, after all, it IS the holidays! Well, that has gotten me nowhere.....except feeling bloated and tired. Never one to let that get me down, I am going to enjoy the rest of the holidays on a more primal note. I'm really looking forward to my brother-in-law's Prime Rib on Christmas. He makes a mean piece of meat!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and is able to spend time with friends and family because that is what the season is all about. Whatever you do, just be sure to enjoy yourself! Cheers!

Buffalo Chicken (or Turkey) Dip

Here's a yummy recipe to help you use up all that leftover turkey. Caution: this is contains dairy so it's not completely primal, but it is oh-so delicious!

In a small crockpot, put a block of cream cheese. Add a tablespoon or so of dry ranch dip mix, 4 oz shredded Swiss cheese (you can also use cheddar), about 2 cups diced turkey (or chicken) and a bunch of Frank's hot sauce. Let it warm for a couple hours and enjoy. It's like buffalo wings and dip all in one! I like to eat it with celery sticks. Yummy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day with friends and family, and enjoyed some fabulous food. What a great Primal holiday Thanksgiving can be. I actually passed up the mashed potatoes but did indulge in a small slice of pumpkin pie.

Made a great salad with organic mixed greens, diced organic pears, dried cranberries, shaved almonds, goat cheese and a vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and homemade cranberry sauce (sweetened with pure maple syrup).

I've noticed something about pure maple syrup. I don't seem to react the same way to it as I do with regular sugar. Usually, an hour after eating sugar, I am nodding off. I had zero reaction to the syrup. Could be that I am using less of it, but no matter what it is, I am loving it!

Bring on the Meat!

Well, it's November and the holiday eating season has officially begun. I can't even tell you how many pieces of disgusting Halloween candy I have eaten in the past two weeks. And guess what? It went straight to my stomach and my ass! Every pair of pants are a little snug this morning and it pisses me off. Especially since it is my own fault. No one forced me to eat that crap, I even bought kinds that I don't particularly care for and still ate it. I swear, those little candy bars call out to me, beckoning me to participate in their sweetness. So all candy was brought to work today where I am sure it will be gone momentarily. And yesterday, I decided that it is time to go super low carb, eating mostly meat, eggs and a little cheese. (And of course, some delicious fat will be thrown in as well!) I get so angry with myself that I allow myself to falter from the primal lifestyle way more than I should. If I would just stick with it, not only would I feel (physically) better, I would also emotionally feel better. Ok, I'm done with my rant, and am off to eat a big ol' juicy grass-fed New York steak. Yum!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

In my CSA box today were some tomatillos (along with a white onion, cilantro and jalapenos, and limes....hmmmm). I don't know about you, but I've never cooked with fresh ones, the canned ones, yes, I have a recipe or two that I use those for. Anyway, along with the bounty came a recipe for Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Never made it before, but I love the stuff when I go to El Toro. Print this one out folks....it's a keeper!!!

Tomatillo Salsa Verde
1 lb fresh tomatillos
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp sugar (I left it out, but it is so minor that it would probably be ok to leave in)
2 Jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped (I only used one, not a huge fan of peppers)
Salt to taste

Remove papery husks from tomatillos; rinse well.
There are two ways to prepare the tomatillos, I used the roasting method.
Roasting method:
Cut tomatillos in half an place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

Boiling method:
Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Put all ingredients in blender or food processor and pulse until finely chopped and mixed. Chill in refrigerator and enjoy.

I had put it with diced pastured chicken, shredded raw cheddar and diced avocado...delish!!

Thursday Ramblings

A big shout out to Jimmy Moore for adding me to his recent list of must see blogs for October 2009! Jimmy is an expert on living "la vida low carb," and one of the first blogs I started following when I came to the low carb way of life. Thanks for the post Jimmy! Keep on spreading the word!

I've added some blog sites over on the right. These are the blogs that I read every single day, without fail. Great writing styles, fun to read and loads of information. If someone asks you about the Primal lifestyle, refer them to sites like these for a taste of Grok.

I wanted to share this information with you about keeping eggs fresh. Now, I will admit, I have never been one to check code dates or expiration dates on eggs, my bad....I know! And now that I am buying eggs straight from the farm, I don't have to worry about it. The thought of eating eggs on April 1, that were probably laid in December, well, it just creeps me out. I think I'll stick to the farm store.