On the Menu This Week

The pumpkin curry soup turned out really well. I used canned organic pumpkin and frozen veggies and shrimp to make this a truly quick and simple Friday night dinner. But that was last week. On to the upcoming week's menu. I'm making some pretty big batches of food this week to carry us through with some leftovers.

Sunday

Curried Meatballs and Sliders

Monday

Crockpot Carnitas

Tuesday

Brisket (Adapted from this Lamb Shoulder Recipe)

Wednesday

Whole Chicken and Grain Free Stuffing

Thursday

Maple Balsamic Salmon

Friday

Old Bay Shrimp and Salad

Bon Jovi Opens Soul Kitchen in NJ

Congratulations on the opening of another pay-as-you-can 

community cafe!

Pistachio Salmon

I got the idea to try this from Paleo Comfort Foods' Pecan Crusted Fish which I made last week. I fell in love with the technique that resulted in a crunchy nutty crust that stayed put, even during flipping. For this recipe, I just swapped out the kind of fish and nuts. I paired it with some roasted cauliflower for the win. The combo was a big bit with Cute Man and certainly will become part of our rotation. Here’s what I did:

1 tbs Grass Fed Butter
2 Wild Caught Salmon Filets
½ c Almond Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 egg white
1 c Pistachio nutmeats, coarsely chopped
2 slices of fresh lemon

Heat a pan over medium heat and add butter. While the butter melts, set up a station like so from left to right: plate with almond flour, salt and pepper; wide bowl with beaten egg white; and the cutting board with chopped pistachios. Dip the top of each filet in each station, going from left to right, creating a crust on the non-skin side of the filet. Put both pieces of fish into the buttered pan, crust side down (skin side up). Let cook for 5-6 minutes until the crust is toasted, then flip and cook 4-5 minutes more. Remove and serve with a slice of lemon. The fish should be cooked through and flake with a fork.

Grain Free Pizza

Having this pizza on the menu this week was a real treat. Cute Man isn’t a huge fan of the almond flour crusts, so I made his on two small flat breads he normally uses for his sandwiches. He was raving about it, so I think it’s safe to say he liked them. I used this recipe for the crust, but came up with the toppings myself based on what was on hand. Using the recommended parchment paper was the key to making this easy and week-night doable. The last time I made a pizza, the crust was super sticky and it was just an annoying process.

On to the toppings! I made a quick “sauce” with a small can of tomato paste, a bit of water, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a drop of Stevia. I kept it thick so it wouldn’t make the crust soggy. Atop the sauce, I lovingly placed some onions I had caramelized in grass fed butter for 45 minutes over low heat as well as the julienned yellow squash I had added to the onions for the last 5 minutes. Lastly, I topped this baby off with some defrosted crumbled sausage I had in the freezer. The combination was terrific! Oh, and I also sprinkled some Parmesan Cheese on top after I took the finished product out of the oven. That picture didn’t look as good so I went with the pre-cheese version.

Items like “Paleo Pizza” are a bit controversial among some. They see them as a crutch, keeping people from letting go of the modern foods that are just simply no good for us. That may be true, but I don’t think this makes me any more likely to go out and want the real deal again. Instead, these types of treats are fun to create and let me have a taste of a food that I really like and sometimes miss. Also, I have no illusions of doing this thing perfectly. I’m just doing the very best I can, making better choices whenever possible. The great thing is that my efforts are starting to show real results. The proof is in the (dairy free, grain free, omega 3-rich) pudding, my friend!

Shrimp Egg Foo Young

This is a great easy and quick option that never disappoints. The photo is of Cute Man's plate so the eggy goodness is piled on top of a heap of brown rice. I ate mine plain, but also made some pureed tomato soup as a starter. The two elements did not go together at all, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. Here is how I made this quick and dirty creation that makes two separate omelets...

6 eggs

1 c frozen shrimp, thawed

1 c frozen veggies, thawed (I used Frenched green beans)

2 tbs wheat free soy sauce or tamari

1 tbs 5 spice powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat a small skillet over medium/high heat with fat of choice (I used chicken fat). Ladle half the mixture into the pan, turn the heat down to low and cover for 5-10 minutes until the omelet begins to puff up. Remove the lid, flip the omelet allowing the other side to sear just a bit before cutting it into four triangles and plating. Add some chopped scallions or chives to the top for garnish. Repeat the process with the other half of the egg mixture for your second serving.

The Shaolin Way To Train Mixed Martial Arts - Part Two

If you want to become a good MMA fighter then you need to train with focus. You can't be the best at ground, punch, and kick. You need to choose one or two skills that you will become special at and focus on these then have the other skills as the extra things you can do.

I have many MMA students that want to study with me, they say they know Juijutsu, Thai Boxing, Boxing etc but when I see them train, I ask them, “Which  is your weapon? Your kick or your punch?”  Most people don't have a lethal weapon. They are not 100% in control of their punch or their kick. They have no weapon that can enable them to win.  This means they have nothing special.

I tell them, this means that every time you go to fight, you are hoping for luck. You don't know which skill will help you to win the fight:  kick or punch or ground fighting. When you become a fighter, you can’t live for luck, you need to have full confidence, believe in your punch or your kick or your knee or elbow. Know that when you have the opportunity, you can knock your opponent out.

Because you know you can do this, then you make a strategy to trap them, you are setting them up so you can have the opportunity to knock them out. It's only when you are at this level that you are a good fighter.

This is the reason why you need to be humble. If you have too much desire to have everything, you can't have everything. You can only have one or two skills. This is enough for you to win. Simplify your training and strengthen your skill.

But it's not easy. Because when you have a skill, you have to use your brain, you need to fight different kind of fighters so you need to be able use your weapon from different angles, you need to practice over and over again to make your weapon sharper and sharper. This humbles you. It’s boring. There’s nothing exciting. Where as when you learn different martial arts and different techniques, you feel excited and stimulated but the truth is, you can’t master them. You will always be an average fighter. This week I want you to find your special skill and train in it intensively until it becomes your special weapon
Related DVDs:
Fighting Punches and Kicks Volume 1 & 2
Shaolin Bootcamp Volume 1 & 2
Shaolin Workout Volume 1, 2, 3
Kung Fu Ch'an 
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Fish Tacos, PCF Style

Unlike last week, I took the time to crack open my trusty copy of Paleo Comfort Foods before actually starting to make my tacos. I’m so glad I did! Their recipe is super simple and offers a great technique. The main difference was that it called for me to marinate the fish for a short while before cooking it up. Not rocket science but also not something I’ve bothered to do before. It really made it better. Two tasty thumbs up!

In other news, I’m so determined to stick with my meal plan and not go out and buy more food before the weekend that I’ve taken to rationing eggs! With Shrimp Egg Foo Young and Grain Free Pizza dough on the menu as well as the need for an egg white wash for the Pistachio Salmon, those babies are in hot demand. I thought I had a ton of them until Cute Man and I both wanted scrambled eggs for breakfast. As a result, I counted out what I needed for the week and made scrambled eggs with the rest. It all worked out and I’m glad to know we’re still on track.

I’m hoping that I’ll get my new copy of Make it Paleo sometime this week so that I can use it for meal planning next week. That book looks amazing and I cannot wait to try out a bunch of their goodies. These are the people who brought me my beloved Pumpkin Cookies, so I have high hopes!!!