Week 4: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

It is safe to say that I have dropped the ball big time on grocery shopping for at least the past week. I have neglected to cook at home and have been horrific in the "planning ahead" department. Luckily, there is Chipotle. Actually, I have been eating out significantly this past week, and making pretty good choices along the way. I use the term "pretty good choices" very loosely, as eating at restaurants usually includes consuming generous portions of excess calories and salt (not to mention hidden sugars). This is technically supposed to be the last week of the slow-carb experiment for me. To tell you the truth, I think things are going fairly well, and in all honesty this challenge has not been as difficult to adhere to as I anticipated. We'll see if we end up extending the journey, but for now here's the week's consumption:

Monday, February 21

Am I crazy? Or did I really only drink four glasses of water today? Safe to say that is a "point of emphasis" going forward. I guess after burgers, pizza, shakes, etc I did not take the time to come up with a Monday meal plan, so I had to improvise. Breakfast consisted of a handful of Brazil nuts as I walked out the door (which even that small quantity seemed forced after last night). A couple of turkey meatballs throughout the day and I made it to the evening on very little consumption. I know this can't be good for the ketogenic processes necessary to this process, but man I just wasn't hungry. I forced down a Chipotle burrito bowl for dinner, and had a couple of glasses of wine before I shut it down. Another successfully miserable Monday. Thank you cheat day.

water: 4
yerba mate (2 c)
Brazil nuts (4 ea)
turkey meatballs (3 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
red wine (2 c)


Tuesday, February 22

You know you had a good cheat day when the hangover lasts into Tuesday as the day's consumption looks eerily similar to Monday's fast. I whipped up a quick breakfast of refried black beans, eggs and turkey bacon, so a little bit better start than yesterday. Again, I made it through most of the day without much of an appetite, so I did very little eating. I have no shame in admitting that I did another burrito bowl for dinner after a productive Town Lake loop.

water: 8 c
yerba mate (2 c)
eggs (2 ea)
refried black beans (1/2 c)
turkey bacon (2 ea)
turkey meatball (6 oz)
chipotle burrito bowl


Wednesday, February 23

I have yet to sack up and purchase groceries so it was another day of eating out for all my meals. I ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, black beans, green beans with carrots, bacon and a turkey sausage patty off of the Whole Foods hot food bar. It was so satisfyingly mediocre. I mostly just munched on some steamed vegetables through out the day (also courtesy of Whole Foods). After work it was straight in the car to our teams' second game of the season. We play our games in skanky Pflugerville, and there was seriously no time to grab anything of substance before the game. I had a couple of orange slices again (by this point, I was famished) before I was able to put down a decent meal with the entire Tats and Eyes soccer team following our 6-3 victory (2-0, no big deal). Thanks to the wonderful people at Bikini's Sports Bar and Grill, I chowed on the Honey Do Chicken:

Grilled chicken breast topped with crispy bacon, sauteed mushrooms, melted jack cheese (omitted), and honey mustard sauce, served with mashed potatoes (omitted) and mixed vegetables.

I also added a dinner salad to my order, which was delivered to me with cheese and croutons despite my request to hold them. C'mon Bikini waitress, you're better than that. I picked off the croutons, but decided that picking through the cheese would be too much of a hassle so I just took it down. Whatever, I just played soccer.

water: 12 c
coffee (2 c)
black beans (1/2 c)
green beans w/ carrot (1/2 c)
eggs (5 ea)
bacon (2 ea)
turkey sausage (2 oz)
HSH steam veg from Whole Foods (1/2 c)
[asparagus, broccoli, carrot, green bean, cauliflower]
orange slices (2 ea)
dinner salad w/ oil and vinegar (cheese)
grilled chicken w bacon, mushrooms and honey mustard sauce (8 oz)
grilled veggies (1 c)

The rest of the weekend will probably be pretty hectic as I'm making another quick trip to Houston Thursday night. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get into a kitchen so we'll just hope for the best with our decision making.

Cheat Day 3.0

I went into cheat day 3.0 knowing one thing: I was GOING to have a milk shake. I left the rest up to my spontaneity. Here is the recap (try not to throw up):

Within five minutes of waking up I was already out the door in search of donuts. I was in an unfamiliar part of Houston, but I knew that in the fattest city in the United States I was never far from a donut shop. Low and behold, I found some cookie cutter Asian-run donut shop at the first major intersection I pulled up to. I overordered (in case the family wanted to share), however my personal tally did not disappoint, ending up at two jalapeno sausage kolaches, two glazed donuts, a chocolate covered cinnamon twist and an apple fritter in addition to a pint of whole milk. Good breakfast.

After a few more hours of manual labor I set out on a quick errand and crossed paths with a Godfather's pizza. It had been a few hours since my morning sugar binge, so I decided to grab a quick bite solo at the neighborhood pizza buffet. It was only a one-rounder, but I'm sure that I was able to fit at least eight slices (almost all pepperoni jalapeno) on my plate. For the record, I DID have an iceberg salad with my meal, albeit with a gallon of ranch dressing.

When my shackles were unlocked and I was free to leave, I headed back to home sweet home Austin, Texas. After moving a fleet of furniture and a mountain of boxes over the course of the weekend I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch with my shoes off and watch some TV. Luckily, tonight was the NBA All-Star game. Not that I am a huge basketball fan these days, but it seemed like just the appropriate selection of programming for a night of vegetation. First, I needed some grub. I snacked on a couple of herb biscuits (that I had been saving all week) with some grilled chicken and a cupcake when it donned on me that I had yet to have the milkshake that I had prophesied. By this point, maintaining the tradition of my weekly shake was almost as important to me as the experiment itself. I headed out for some milkshake ingredients as well as something else of a little more "substance." I settled on a Wendy's classic double cheeseburger to go along with what eventually became a banana cream pie milkshake. The secret recipe was this:

banana cream pie + vanilla bean ice cream + whole milk = ridiculousness

God damn, that was a good milkshake. Although I knew the pain was coming, at that moment, it was worth it.

Week 3

It was a long, busy week for sure. Between work, soccer, running, and exhaustion I hardly found the time to get down in the kitchen. Under these circumstances, the theme of the week quickly became the Chipotle burrito bowl. Without further ado, here's an epic list of this week's eating:

Monday, 2/14/11

Uuuuugh! It is truly incredible the hangover you can feel after pounding a double bacon jalapeno cheese Whataburger, fries and a 32 oz strawberry malt just moments before falling asleep (read: falling into a coma). Late to work, I easily bypassed the breakfast and tried to compensate by quickly ingesting a pint of coffee. Did I mention I felt like crap all day? In fact, I only managed a snack of black beans, eggs and broccoli throughout the day until I finally found the nerve to get hungry again. The fridge bare, I leaned upon my true valentine Chipotle for a burrito bowl and a Diet Coke.

water 8 c
coffee (2 c)
black beans (1/4 c)
eggs (2 ea)
broccoli (2 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
Diet Coke (32 oz)


Tuesday, 2/15/11

So this is what an appetite feels like. After spending much of Monday in the hurt locker, I woke up Tuesday morning with a renewed energy, ready for what the week had in store for me. A quick breakfast cup of eggs, spinach, onion, mushrooms, tomato and a little crispy pancetta and I was off to the races! My lunch/midday snack consisted only of a few large spears of grilled asparagus, but somehow I stayed satisfied throughout the afternoon. I managed to build quite an appetite following a big loop around Town Lake. Guess what I had for dinner. You guessed it! Chipotle!!! Seriously, so convenient. On a side note, I am discovering that I have a new found affinity to Diet Coke. I feel like I let my childhood down, proudly claiming all through my youth that I'd NEVER turn to that stuff. After all, it was for stupid grown ups ONLY! Jesus, I'm drinking the Kool Aid.

water 10c
coffee (2 c)
eggs (3 ea)
spinach (1/4 c)
mushrooms (1/4 c)
roma tomato (1 ea)
pancetta (2 oz)
onions (1/4 c)
asparagus (4 ea)
chipotle burrito bowl
Diet Coke (32 oz)
brazil nuts (6 ea)


Wednesday, 2/16/11

You may have noticed that the past two day's consumption has been relatively tame, consisting of little more than a cup of breakfast and a burrito bowl (plus a ton of caffeine). Well, today I broke that trend. I had a huge breakfast-in-a-cup of eggs, squash, onion, bell pepper and guacamole with my customary coffee. I munched on some peanuts and pork loin throughout the day, and I finally found the time this week to actually whip something up at home: some refried black beans (recipe coming soon). For dinner, I had an incredibly sensible dinner of spinach, arugala, and watercress with grilled chicken.

Not many people know this, but one of my secret passions is coed intramural soccer. There's nothing quite like a bunch of out of shape males and females in there late 20's huffing and puffing for a 40 minute soccer game, all the while taking the whole thing way too seriously. Tonight, we had our first soccer game of the season (a 5-0 victory, no big deal). This whole soccer spiel was merely a segue to my next statement. Folks, I have a confession: at halftime of our game, I ate 2 orange wedges!!! There it is! It's out in the open! I cheated! I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was too late, I had annihilated those oranges like I was back in 3rd grade. Oh well, it's not really important at all. According to "the book," during/post workout is really the only acceptable time to consume a little carbohydrate energy from sugar. So don't worry, the experiment continues...

water 8 c
diet coke (24 oz)
coffee (3 c)
eggs (3 ea)
squash (1/4 c)
onion (1/4 c)
red bell pepper (1/2 c)
guacamole (1/2 c)
peanuts (1 oz)
pork loin (2 oz)
spinach (1 c)
arugala (2 c)
watercress (1/2 c)
refried black beans (1/2 c)
grilled chicken (12 oz)
orange wedges (2 ea)


Thursday, 2/17/11

A day containing a long run followed by a day with an intense game of soccer will usually lead to a decent amount of soreness, and today was NOT an exception. I woke up in a decent amount of pain, late as shit for work, and had to dart out the door without the satisfaction of a good breakfast. Luckily, I had the sense to at least grab a few Brazil nuts on my way out the door. Truth be told, I hate starting the day in a rush because I feel as though the rest of the day follows suit. I was bouncing around all day (I'm sure the coffee played a role) and managed only a few snacks throughout the day (if you consider turkey meatballs and beef brisket snacks). My ambition led me once again to Town Lake to punish myself through the pain I was feeling. After my (newly formed) standard loop, I was almost instantly hit with an insatiable hunger. I had to run a quick errand to pick up some spectacles from my good friend Dr. Casey Packer at Lone Star Eye, so I decided to stop into a Sprouts that I stumbled upon the way. It was my first time to step foot into a Sprouts, and I must say they have a pretty decent store. I did, however, find that my options were somewhat limited and walked out with only a bag of cashews, some hummus and a few sticks of celery and carrots to munch on. It was going to have to do for now. Though temporarily satisfying, I don't think this makeshift early dinner gave me much in the energy department. I made it home around 8:00pm and almost immediately fell asleep...for the night. I guess the past couple of days finally caught up on me. Oh well, I needed it.

water: 9 c
coffee (2 c)
brazil nuts (4 ea)
turkey meatballs (3 oz)
smoked briskekt (1 oz)
cashews (4 oz)
red pepper hummus (1/2 c)
carrots (1/2 c)
celery (1/2 c)
grape tomatoes (1/4 c)


Friday, 2/18/11

Dammit, for the second time this week I missed my 30 minute window to consume any semblance of breakfast. Despite my ten hours of sleep the night before, I woke up yet again late for work and in a rush out the door. When I finally got to sit down to breakfast nearly two hours had past since waking. My breakfast was damn delicious (special thanks to Cesar at Whole Foods Lamar): scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms, refried black beans, turkey sausage, and bacon. I had an equally satisfying lunch of arugala, spinach, and watercress topped with grilled chicken and bruscetta topping (recipe to follow) before I hopped in the car and headed to Houston for the weekend. My dinner consisted of a few more black beans topped with salsa, some marcona almonds and some sauteed vegetables consisting of onion, bell pepper, zucchini and arugala.

water: 12 c
coffee (2c)
eggs (4 ea)
refried black beans (3 c)
turkey sausage (1 c)
bacon (1 ea)
grilled chicken (12 oz)
arugala (3 c)
spinach (1/2 c)
watercress (1/2 c)
bruschetta (1/4 c)
sauteed onion, bell pepper, zucchini (1 c)
green chile puree (2 T)
marcona almonds (2 oz)
salsa (1/4 c)


Saturday, 2/19/11

So here I am: Houston, Texas. The land of absolutely NOTHING healthy to eat. Knowing this fact, I brought a little bit of my own goods to at least start my day with. Eggs, turkey bacon and refried black beans made for a delicious breakfast to start a day of Hell (better known as helping my mother move out of her house). Luckily for me the wise people of Chipotle have infiltrated the city providing me with at least one option I can rely on. After a long day of hauling, lugging, lifting, and dropping, my family and I treated ourselves to dinner at a local chain Mexican restaurant called Gringo's where I found comfort in a meal consisting of a rack of baby back ribs, borracho beans and a side salad. By the way, what the hell is up with putting cheese on a salad? I don't get it. Some feta? Sure. Some goat cheese? Definitely. But cheddar cheese on a salad? I will never understand.

water: 6 c
coffee (2 c)
diet coke (15 oz)
eggs (3 ea)
turkey bacon (2 ea)
refried black beans (1 c)
Chipotle burrito bowl
baby back ribs (full rack)
avocado (2 oz)
borracho beans (1/2 c)
side salad w/ italian dressing


Wow, that pretty much sums up my week. I've made it to Cheat Day 3.0, and seeing as I will still be in Houston for most of the day, I couldn't think of a more appropriate place to be for a day where the options are limitless (in a bad way). It should make for an interesting day. Stay tuned...

Day Thirteen: Workout!

How did I forget? Somewhere between the tiramisu, cannoli's, burgers, shakes and cookies, I managed to fit in an I-35/Mopac loop around Town Lake (~7 mi). What can I say? After all that sugar, I had a little bit of energy to burn.

Did my calories burned surmount my calories consumed? Not even close, but this was definitely a high point of the day. As i sat here reading my last post, I started to feel disappointed in myself for crushing that monstrous shake. When it donned on me that I had somehow forgotten about the run my stern face morphed into an uncontrollable grin.

Two weeks down, two weeks to go.

Day Thirteen: Sunday, February 13, 2011

So you would have thought from my last post that Cheat Day 2.0 would have been a deviation from the previous week's overindulgence. Considering I started the day with a humongous wedge of tiramisu and a cannoli for breakfast, I would venture to say that was not the case.

I did a little snacking throughout the day, but no major infractions. I just had a little cheese here and some bread there. The cold pizza leftovers that I discovered in the fridge did not stand a chance. All in all, the day was not as over-the-top as I would have anticipated...

...that was until I crossed paths with a Whataburger. Was I hungry? Not really, but I sort of felt like I should pull the trigger. In fact, the thought of a milkshake at the end of the week has played a significant role in helping me overcome temptation throughout this experiment. This was the perfect moment. I went in for the kill.

A double bacon jalapeno cheese whataburger, fries and a shake later, I was in a pants-unbuttoned, shoes-off, sugar/salt/fat-induced coma (no more than thirty minutes after taking my last begrudging sip of the frozen strawberry milk emulsion). Did I mention that the shake was a 32 ouncer?

I am riddled with guilt. And it feels sooo good.

Day Twelve: Saturday, February 12, 2011

Today I had one of my favorite breakfasts since I've started this odyssey...and there were NO EGGS involved!! Turkey bacon, cottage cheese, and the rest of the roasted garlic cauliflower puree made for a spectacular 1st meal of the day (along with a cup of French press coffee).

I was once again caught in a position where I had limited time and had to make a quick food choice (I let the fridge get to pretty much bare). Once again, it was CHIPOTLE to the rescue! If you're scoring at home, that's three Chipotle trips in five days. Don't even ask me, you know what kind of burrito I got.

That pretty much did it for the day's eating (besides a few bites of grilled sausage later in the evening). I spent a few hours downtown tonight but managed to limit myself to only one glass of wine. Ordering wine in a bar is douchey, not going to do it anymore.

And that's that, made it to my second cheat day. I definitely have a different mentality going into this Sunday as I did last Sunday. Last week, it was a smorgasbord of carnival food that did me in. This week, I don't have the urge to completely desecrate my diet. At the moment, I want nothing more than a piece of toast and handful of blueberries. Now, that doesn't mean I won't make a few "highly caloric" food decisions tomorrow...

Day Eleven, Friday, February 11, 2011

Man, sleeping in feels gooooood sometimes. I rolled out of bed around 11:00 (probably closer to 12:00, actually) and had a bowl of borracho beans, cottage cheese and tomatoes along with some yerba mate. I made the fatal mistake of running out of eggs. Damn you, breakfast with no eggs!

I had a cup of coffee to rev me up for a little afternoon tennis match with Taylor followed by a sweet Turkish get-up workout. In all it was close to 4 hours of physical activity. You know what that means...time to eat!

I ran into a problem that I feel many run into: I did not have a plan for my next meal. I was hungry after an extensive workout and needed to eat soon. This is an inflexion point where I feel most have the greatest opportunity to be led astray in their food choices. When our options are limited is when we most often decide on the fast food, the junk food, the generally bad food choices that sound good on the spot. "Damn, I'm starving. I could really go for some broccoli." Doesn't happen that way. I was driving around, on the prowl for some grub, and luckily I crossed paths with a Central Market. The light bulb went off and I pulled over to scope out there salad bar.

I ended up, as most of us usually do, with a much larger portion than I probably needed. The rub with a salad bar: everything looks good, so good in fact that I ended up with a 1 1/4 lb. salad! My beastly clamshell box was almost overflowing with spinach, spring mix, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, beets, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and walnuts with a light dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Couple this with a piece of turkey meatloaf that I couldn't resist picking up as well, and I was out the door for a whopping $14! Seems a little steep for an 8 oz piece of meatloaf and a salad. Oh well, I'll just consider this a tax for being unprepared.

All in all I was happy with my food decision. At this point I think it's better that my wallet took a hit rather than my calorie intake. The salad was complex and filling while the turkey meatloaf was ridiculously tasty on top of some of yesterday's cauliflower puree. Mmmmm.
Here is how today went:
water: 12
yerba mate (3 c)
coffee (1 c)
borracho beans (1 c)
cottage cheese (1/4 c)
tomatoes (1/4 c)
cauliflower puree (1 c)
turkey chili meatloaf (8 oz)
salad (1 #)
[spring mix, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper, hard boiled egg, tomato, artichoke hearts, beets, carrots, chickpeas, kidney beans, walnuts, grilled chicken, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.]


That's right, only two meals today. I don't know if this is good or bad. Generally, I'm more of a grazer, but I find it harder to monitor consumption when I'm just knoshing around so I try to stick to clearly defined meals. Either way, I feel good and I feel lighter although I am not visually seeing a ton of results. That is not to say much, I've never been very good at seeing changes in my own physique. The important thing, I guess, is that I'm still chugging along. Stay the course.

Day Ten: Thursday, February 10, 2011

Man, last night's dinner was so delicious I couldn't stop thinking about it. I thought about it so much in fact, I decided to do it again for dinner tonight.

I began the day with my patented breakfast-in-a-cup of scrambled eggs and leftover brussel sprouts with some tomato on top. I also consumed a couple cups of coffee with cayenne pepper.

For a late lunch, I turned to another Chipotle burrito bowl. It was pretty much identical to the one I had just the other day: carnitas, both beans, guac, lettuce, corn, salsa, veggies...delicious. Chipotle burrito bowl = perfect food to eat while driving (not really).

Dinner consisted of the turbot, spinach and cauliflower puree with the pistachios and macadamias. After that, a little yerba mate and I was ready for bed.


water: 4
coffee w/ cayenne (2 c)
eggs (3 ea)
brussels and shallots (2 c)
tomatoes (1/2 c)
refried black beans (2 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
cauliflower puree (1 c)
sauteed spinach (1 c)
Turbot filet (8 oz)
macadamia/pistachio crumbs (1/2 c)
yerba mate (1 c)


My water consumption was atrocious yesterday. I HAVE to do better than that. Tomorrow's a new day.

Thursday Night Dinner: Pistachio/Macadamia Crusted Turbot with sauteed spinach and cauliflower puree

After a dinner as delicious as last night's, I decided to keep the good times rolling. I found a nice piece of turbot on sale at Whole Foods (that's usually how I make my fish choices at the market, take a ride with whatever's on sale. Just make sure to cook it that day). Turbot is a mild flavored white fish and is a perfect candidate for a pan broiled preparation.

So you'll remember that yesterday I lost a full sheet of pistachios due to negligence as they burnt to a crisp in the oven. Not to be deterred, I decided to try it again, this time incorporating some macadamia nuts into the mix. I toasted the nuts (vigilantly) to activate the essential oils and release there natural aroma, then gave them a quick pulse in my handy Cuisinart mini food processor. Divide the nuts into two equal piles: one that will be used to dredge the fish and another that will be used as a garnish to the finished product.

The next step is to start preparing the cauliflower puree. Simple is an understatement for the skill level required to execute this dish. I start by washing and prepping the cauliflower head into equal-sized florets. Place the florets in a sauce pan and pour about an inch of liquid (I used chicken stock) into the pot. Simmer the cauliflower until it is tender and top it will a dollop of butter (yes, real butter), salt, pepper and a few roasted garlic cloves (i just happened to have a few laying around). Puree with an immersion blender until the mixture is as smooth as mashed potatoes (which we are trying to simulate). Voila!

The spinach is another stupidly easy side dish to execute. Start by washing your spinach leaves in a salad spinner. Don't have a salad spinner? GET ONE!! If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and cook at home more often, a salad spinner is invaluable. You can wash your lettuces, greens, and even fresh herbs (imperative if you buy organic as they tend to come with just a little dirt in the roots). Get a salad spinner.

Get a pan hot and saute the thinly sliced shallots in a dash of oil until they begin to caramelize. At this point, drop your spinach right on top and wait until you hear it start to sizzle. Give the spinach a toss to evenly distribute the shallots, and continue lightly tossing until all the spinach is wilted. At this point, you may season with salt and pepper (not before, as the salt will draw out the water of the spinach and you will end up with a bunch of cooking liquid in the pan.

The last step is to prepare the fish. An important step when buying a thick fish fillet: run your fingers over its flesh to feel for any pin bones that might be hiding. These are thin, sharp, cartilage-like bones in the flesh that, although you are not likely to choke on one, will be very icky in your mouth if you bite into one. Lighly rub both sides of the fish with olive oil, salt and pepper. Next, pat the fish on the pistachio/macadamia mixture until it sticks and you have an evenly crusted fillet. Lightly drop the fish, top-side down, onto a hot skillet with a generous amount of oil. After the fish is browned on one side, flip it over to finish. This is a thinner fillet than the halibut, so it will cook a lot more quickly.

The last step is to plate. I like a nice presentation with any meal I make, even if it is just for me. I'm a firm believer that you "eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth." Start by spreading a nice portion of cauliflower puree onto a plate. Next, pile on the spinach in the center of the cauliflower to give it height. Lastly, top the spinach with the fish gently so that it maintains its height and garnish with the rest of the pistachio/macadamia mixture. You're welcome.

This might seem complex, but the whole thing took me less than 30 minutes to prepare, start to finish. That's washing the spinach, toasting the nuts, whipping the cauliflower, sauteeing the spinach and cooking the fish, all-in. I love the cauliflower puree in this recipe because it simulates mashed potatoes nicely for a person who has been carb/starch-deprived for the past couple of weeks. There's really not much to dislike from this plate. Try it out.


Cauliflower puree:
yield: 4 c

1 ea cauliflower, trimmer into florets
1 c chicken stock (or veg stock or water, really)
2 T butter
1/4 c roasted garlic cloves
1 t salt
1 t pepper

-bring the cauliflower and stock to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender.
-add the butter, garlic, salt and pepper and continue simmering until butter is melted.
-puree the cauliflower with an immersion blender until smooth. Serve.


Sauteed spinach
yield: 2 c

4 c baby leaf spinach, washed
1/4 c shallot, thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

-saute the shallots in oil until caramelized
-top the shallots with the spinach and let it sit for a few moments before stirring.
-lightly toss the spinach until the shallots are evenly distributed and all the spinach is just wilted.
-season with salt/pepper. serve.


Pistachio/Macadamia crusted Turbot

8 oz Turbot fillet
1 oz pistachios, toasted
1 oz macadamias, toasted
1 t olive oil
2 T canola oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

-pulse the nuts in a food processor until it resembles large crumbs.
-clean the fillet, removing all skin and pin bones. Lighly pat the fillet with olive oil, salt and pepper.
-dredge the fish in nut mixture. If necessary, pat in remaining nut crumbles.
-gently drop fish, top side down, into a preheated, oiled skillet. Do not have the heat too high or else the nuts will burn. Cook until browned on one side, gently flip, and finish the other side. serve.

Day Nine: Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Not much razzle today. Woke up to a breakfast of eggs, borracho beans and some sauteed zucchini and squash. I pounded a pint of coffee with cinnamon throughout the day, and I munched on a few nuts in the afternoon before whipping up that spectacular halibut dinner. All in all, here is the total damage:

water: 7 c
coffee w/ cinnamon (2 c)
eggs (2 ea)
borracho beans (1/2 c)
zucchini/squash (1 c)
brazil nuts (2 oz)
pistachios (2 oz)
macadamia nuts (2 oz)
halibut filet (8 oz)
brussels and shallots (2 c)
zinfandel (2 c)

Here is a hint of what is to come tomorrow:

Wednesday Night Dinner: Pan seared halibut w/ roasted brussel sprouts and shallots

Comfort to some is a hot bowl of macaroni noodles smothered in melted cheese or a buttermilk fried chicken breast atop buttery skin-on mashed potatoes. It is for me too. Unfortunately, neither of those dishes come close to slow-carb compliancy. So on this cold winter night I decided on another type of comfort: a beefy, white flaky piece of halibut sitting atop a pile of roasted brussel sprouts and caramelized shallots. I envisioned a rustic dish that would be both hearty and light, providing plenty of richness and flavor as well as nutrition.

Originally, I intended on the dish to be garnished with a generous handful of roasted pistachios. I was forced to call an audible when, much to my chagrin, the pistachios spent a litttttle too long in the oven and came out oxidized (burnt). Too bad, they would have been an AWESOME audition to this dish. Lesson #1: PAY ATTENTION TO NUTS ROASTING IN THE OVEN!!! Roasting nuts is a must in order to extract the utmost flavor out of them as it heats up and activates the essential oils that were previously dormant in the raw stage. BE CAREFUL! Two minutes can be the difference between perfectly roasted, aromatic nuts and a burnt pile of horse feed. I digress.

Let's start this thing again. I trimmed the brussel sprouts of there roots and then halved them. I tossed the sprouts in a large bowl with some leftover garlic oil, a dollop of creole mustard, a few dashes of sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and a handful of thinly sliced shallots. Shallots are sweeter and milder than white or yellow onions, and are perfect for times when you want that great caramelized onion flavor without overpowering the rest of the dish. When dressing is evenly distributed over the brussel sprouts, I spread them out evenly on a sheet pan and roast in 375 degree oven until the edges are just caramelized and the sprouts are soft (about 20 minutes).

Atop those brussel sprouts, almost any type of white, flaky fish would flourish. Hell, those brussel sprouts would make a shoe taste good. I decided to go for the home run and purchased a beautiful 8 oz filet of wild halibut from Whole Foods. I wanted to
get a nice sear so I used my trusty cast iron skillet (my weapon of choice in the kitchen) as the hardware for the operation. I simply seasoned the halibut with salt and pepper and dropped it into a preheated pan coated with a thin layer of garlic oil. When setting the filet in the oil, move it around slightly on the surface of the pan as you slowly release it. This will help keep it from sticking to the pan. Once you set the fish down, DO NOT TOUCH IT until it gets a nice brown sear (about 8 minutes). Gently wedge a spatula under the fish and flip it over to sear the other side (give it another 5 minutes or so).

And there you have it. I piled the brussel sprouts high and topped it with the seared halibut filet and drizzled the whole thing with a wedge's worth freshly squeezed lemon juice. Perfect. This dish is so simple yet elegant. It's a whole lot easier than it seams and comes out looking like a $30 main from a ritzy seafood restaurant. I enjoyed it while I polished off the bottle of Napa zinfandel from last night beside a hot fire place. This was the ultimate way to wrap up another successful day.


Roasted Brussel Sprouts w/ Shallots
Yield: 4 c (8 servings)
Source: Andy original

4 c brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 T garlic oil (or ev olive oil)
½ c shallots, sliced
1 T creole mustard
1 T sherry vinegar
1 T salt
2 t black pepper

-toss brussels with oil, shallots, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper
-roast at 375 until brussels are lightly caremelized


Pan-seared Halibut

8 oz halibut filet

1 T garlic oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/8 lemon wedge

-season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper.
-sear the halibut in garlic oil over a hot skillet until crispy and golden brown (about 8 minutes). flip and sear other side until cooked through (about 5 more minutes)
-plate the halibut and season with a squeeze of lemon. serve.

Day Eight: Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Wow, what a day! I woke up feeling light, alert and with an appetite after a downright mopey day yesterday. I started with a breakfast of stir-fried veggies and eggs:


Stir fry veggies
yield: 4 c

2 c broccoli, cut into florets
1 c white onions, 1" chunks
1/2 c zucchini, cut into half moons
1/2 c yellow squash, cut into half moons
1/2 c red bell pepper, 1" triangles
1/2 c shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 T tamari
1 T sesame oil

-Prep vegetables and preheat non-stick skillet.
-Saute veggies until brown and soft.
-Dress with tamari and sesame oil, toss. Serve.


I prepped a butt-load of these veggies so that I could access them quickly whenever I needed a speedy meal. The important part is that the pieces are all relatively the same size so they cook evenly. Tamari is a Japanese "soy sauce," or shoyu, a by-product of miso (fermented soy bean paste). It acts as our salt in this recipe, and coupled with a hint of sesame oil this veggie dish becomes totally umami! That's good.

After only snacking on some peanuts and poached salmon (not at the same time, that would be weird) into the afternoon I headed to Town Lake for a good long run. I met up with my buddy Taylor whom I had challenged the night before to a loop between I-35 and Mopac (7.1 miles). It felt great to get in a long run after a relatively long hiatus (I have shown a tendency to hibernate in the winter time). Afterwards, I treated my self to my first non-homecooked meal since this experiment started (besides cheat day 1.0): a Chipotle burrito bowl.Man, was it delicious! Carnitas, black AND pinto beans, grilled veggies, corn salsa, tomato salsa, romaine lettuce and guacamole...this meal rocked, and thanks to Chipotle's incredible website that makes calculating nutritional information a breeze I was able to calculate that this magical concoction only cost me 791 calories (less than I burned running).


If I may take a minute, I would like to formally profess my love for Chipotle. I love the way their burritos taste, their variety, and there simplicity. They use sustainable, fresh ingredients, and that quality really stands out in the taste of the finished product. The are pioneers in leading the way for the widespread use of sustainably produced foods in large scale restaurant chains. I could personally eat a burrito/tacos/bowl from Chipotle every day and not get tired of it. Long live Chipotle!

Taylor and I kept the good vibes from our run going by taking on a workout consisting of snatch-balances (7 sets of 3). It was a good supplement to the light fatigue I was starting to feel from running. For dinner I had another large helping of the tamari/sesame stir-fried veggies I had for breakfast. This time I added some sugar snap peas, sesame seeds and a few soy sauce soaked peppercorns that I received as a gift from a friend living in southeast Asia (actually, right now he's in Guam). They are absolutely delicious! I had a couple of bites of some leftover lamb vindaloo and curry lentils, but ultimately I couldn't stomach any more food and decided to shut down consumption for the day (that is, except for the two glasses of Napa zinfandel I took down before bed).


water: 10 c
coffee (1 c )
Yerba Mate (2 c)
fried eggs (2 ea)
stir fry veggies (5 c)
poached salmon (1 oz)
peanuts (3 oz)
Chipotle burrito bowl
(carnitas, veggies, black beans, pinto beans, salsa, corn salsa, romaine lettuce, and guacamole...EXCELLENT!)
lamb vindallo/curry lentils (4 oz)
wine (2 c)


I did stay up long enough to whip up a batch of make-shift borracho beans using the leftover beans from this past weekend's chili that I will enjoy tomorrow for breakfast with some eggs and veggies. I went ahead and used the remaining bacon that did not get dunked in chocolate on Super Bowl Sunday. I would have liked to have thrown in some jalapenos to the beans, but I didnt have any in stock so I supplemented the heat with tabasco and a few red chili flakes. Here is what the recipe would have looked like in an ideal world where I had all the right ingredients:


Borracho Beans
yield: 8 c
source: andy original

4 c pinto beans, cooked and drained
¼ # bacon, cut into lardons
1 c onion, diced
½ c red bell pepper, diced
½ c celery, diced
¼ c serrano peppers, seeded and sliced
2 T cumin, toasted
1 T chili powder
1 c roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ c scallions, thinly sliced
12 oz mexican beer (Pacifico)
6 c chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
2 T hot sauce (Chohula)
salt/pepper
¼ c cilantro, chiffonade

-cook pinto beans and drain, reserving only enough liquid to cover beans.
-cook bacon until all the fat renders out and it is crispy. drain fat, reserving for another use, and reserve bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. return pan to heat.
-saute onion until it just begins to caramelize. add red pepper and celery until soft.
-add serranos, chili powder and cumin and continue sauteeing until aromatic. add tomatoes and scallion. stir to combine.
-deglaze with mexican beer, scraping bottom of pan. when beer reduces by half, add chicken stock. bring up to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until desired bean-to-liquid ratio is achieved (at least one hour).
-season with salt, pepper and hot sauce and stir in cilantro. serve.


Tomorrow is going to have to be a shopping day since the fridge is starting to look pretty thin. I have some brussel sprouts that need eating and I think they would go great with some white flaky fish so I will make it happen tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Day Seven: Monday, February 7, 2011

Man, did I feel like crap this morning. Waking up with absolutely zero appetite, I decided to skip breakfast. I did, however, spend most of my morning working on a pint of coffee laced with cayenne pepper. I managed only a couple bites of food early in the day, and then one last meal around 6:00. It was nothing to write home about, just leftovers essentially. I am still chipping away at that massive quantity of curried lentils I made last week, and I managed to finish off some romaine. I sauteed some zucchini, yellow squash, shitake mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, broccoli, and scallions spiked with a little sesame oil and tamari (easy Asian-inspired accent).

I've decided that Mondays are going to be "get rid of leftovers" day. This is the day to take care of the stuff that just didn't seem to get eaten throughout the week (probably because they're not as desirable as eggs, turkey bacon and cottage cheese). These lentils are really taking there toll on me. I am OVER them for a while, but I don't like to waste so I'm going to force them down. I think I've learned my lesson on making way too many lentils.

The day was definitely a recovery day. At the moment, I have no desire for anything sweet. I'm sure that will change as the week goes on, but for right now, I am in the hurt locker. I hope today's light calorie intake will put me back on track.

water: 9 c
coffee w/ cayenne (2 c)
2 oz black eyed peas (texas caviar)
2 oz sauteed broccoli
2 c lentils
3 c romaine
1 c veggies sauteed in tamari/sesami oils

Day Six (Cheat Day 1.0): February 6, 2011

I made it to my first "cheat day" with an unblemished week (for the most part). Just a quick review:

Rule #4: Take one day off per week

I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia.

I mean, the information is there. So what did I do? I indulged on my cheat day. Big time. It just so happened that this was Super Bowl Sunday, a PERFECT day to lift any and all food restrictions. It's just the American thing to do. I kicked off the day with a breakfast of chicken tenders as I got started on my contribution to the Super Bowl watching party I would be attending: chocolate covered bacon and chocolate-walnut dipped bananas!

My method was really simple. I started by halving the bananas and giving them a quick freeze in the freezer (so they would hold there integrity through the process).
Next, I rendered the bacon in a 325 degree oven until they were brown and crispy (about 30 minutes). As the bacon cooked and the bananas froze, I melted about 2 lbs of Hershey's chocolate bars in a double boiler. The rest was merely a matter of assembly. I would be lying if I said I didn't graze around the kitchen in search of anything and everything I could dip in the melted chocolate I had on hand... a good opportunity, ya know?

The bacon and bananas were a big hit. They were a great complement to the sliders, mac and cheese, more chicken tenders, chips and queso, guacamole, salsa, empanadas, chili, and spinach artichoke dip I stuffed my face with (not to mention the beer and whiskey). It was a truly delectable experience.

I went into the day excited about the prospect of a guiltless day of gluttony, but it quickly turned into a guilt filled evening as I lay comfortably on the couch, my belly full after housing close to 4,000 calories on the day (and that might be a
conservative estimate). I kept track of my consumption to start the day, but I had given up on that task by halftime as my consumption rate elevated to untrackable levels. If the intention was to make me shun off carbs and sweets for the rest of the week, I have a feeling it will prove to be effective. I feel like Jabba the Hut.

I'm going to head into week two with my foot on the gas peddle. I vow to step up the physical activity, maybe get a couple of loooong runs in this week, and boost the intake of vegetables relative to the protein I consume. We're going to prove Mr. Ferris right this week. I know it.

Day Five: February 5, 2011

I have a little confession to make. Although a warm bowl of chili on a cold winter night wasincredibly comforting, I had an ulterior motive for last night's kitchen lab. I was actually practicing the recipe I submitted for entry into the Whole Foods chili cook-off that would take place in the morning. It was a competition between all the departments in the store (grocery, meat dep, ect.) and my recipe was representing the Prepared Foods department.

A night eating chili does not necessarily set you up for a big appetite in the morning. I started off the day with a version of breakfast-in-a-cup that consisted of black beans, cottage cheese, tomato and scallions. I spent most of the morning preparing a 40 lb batch of chili and thus sampled it at various points along its development. I would have to estimate that I ate a total of one cup throughout the day. In case you're wondering, our team won the chili cookoff. No big deal.

Later that night I had a catering gig that offered a plentiful menu chalk full of temptation. The menu included crab cakes, sliders, grilled ham and cheese, mac and cheese cups, and many other foods that are definitely NOT on the approved foods list. To tell you the truth resistance came easier than expected. The absence of carbs was easier to cope with today than it was at the beginning of the week. Plus there was no way I was going to crack for the first time this close to Cheat Day 1.0 (I've got BIG plans for my impending gluttony).

I made a dinner out of a few coffees, a Diet Coke, and a small plate of slider patties atop spinach and roasted vegetables. All in all, today's consumption looked a little like this:

water: 9 c
black beans (1/2 c)
cottage cheese (1/4 c)
green onion (2 T)
tomato (1 c)
eggs (2 oz)
chili (1 c)
coffee (2 c)
diet coke (12 oz can)
hamburger (8 oz)
roasted bell peppers (1/4 c)
spinach (2 c)
asparagus (1 c)


Well, there you have it. One week is in the books. I appear to have shed a little body fat, and I definitely feel a difference. I do feel, however, that I have been "dipping my toes" into this experiment. I plan on turning up the intensity on my
physical activity, starting with this week. But right now the first thing on my mind is tomorrow, Super Bowl Sunday, and my first cheat day. I've got big plans for tomorrow...big plans.

Day Four: February 4, 2011

What a day! By the time I go to bed tonight, I will have drank 14 glasses of water meeting one of my goals for the day. I didn't eat as many vegetables as I would have liked for the day, but tomorrow will be different. I have a boatload of veggies prepped to saute with some tamari and sesame oil (perhaps a piece of chicken?). Can't wait.

The chili that capped off tonight was totally satisfying. In summary, I consumed:

water: 14 c
coffee w/ cinnamon (2 c)
topo chico mineral water (11.5 oz bottle)
eggs (2 ea)
sw black beans (1 c)
kale (1 c)
walnuts (3 oz)
lentil dahl (2 c)
sauteed onion (1/2 c)
garlic oil (2 T)
sesame oil (2 t)
february chili (2 c)
red wine (1/2 c)


One more day until Cheat Day 1.0. Four days in the books. Twenty four to go. Twenty more days of restrictions and four upcoming days of gluttony. The plot thickens...

Friday Night Cooking Project: Chili

While there are some who are willing to battle the elements on this Friday night, I find it way more appealing to stay indoors and fire up the kitchen. Given the climate, I can't think of a more appropriate dish that makes the weather more tolerable while still abiding by the "rules of the game." This chili recipe is a complete improvisation, an experiment if you will. It is the maiden voyage, so to speak. The way I figure, if you use good ingredients (which we are) you can't make a bad dish. Well, that is unless you burn it which I will try my best not to do. Since I will be sort of winging it, I will wait until the end of the post to disclose the recipe.

The first step is to cook the beans. I am using dry pinto beans so the cooking process will take a little bit of time. Ideally, I would have liked to have soaked them overnight, but this will work just fine. I was able to rinse and soak them when I got home from the store earlier today. It was actually the first thing I did before starting on the vegetable prep (yay organization!). I drain the beans, rinse them again, and put them in a stock pot with a new stock of water [I add an assload of water. They will need to cook for at least 2 hours, plus we can always drain out any excess bean liquid we dont need. Use about 6:1 if you can]. Bring it to a boil and, if you're using a big enough pot, let it go in a rolling boil for a while [at least the first hour. This speed up the process]. I made more beans than I am going to need for the chili, so I will use the rest to make some kickass borracho beans [sans the beer, obv. I will actually be able to use the vegetable stock I made earlier to enhance the flavor of those borrachos. can't wait!]. You want your beans to cook all the way through but you don't want them to get too soft. Remember, they are going to cook again in the final products, respectively.

In all its glory: our ingrediants. This chili is going have a base ratio of 2:1 beef to pork, some roasted poblanos and Anaheim chilis, some tomatoes, some toasted cumin, some jalapenos for heat, and even a little red wine. It's going to be bomb.

Roasting chilies is a personal favorite of mine. It is relatively easy to do, and if you have the time it provides you with a wonderful weapon in your refrigerator arsenal. Roasted chilies are as versatile to me as roasted garlic (where do you think I got all the roasted garlic oil I've been using?). If I have access to a gas flame (which I did in this instance) I simply put the dry pepper on top of the grate and literally let the flame burn the skin until every inch of the pepper is covered in black blistered skin. It's no problem to roast them in the oven, lightly covered in oil, under the broiler until black, but this method tends to overcook the pepper in my experience. We want a more al dente chili because it still has to stew in the chili and we want some sort of intregrity in the finished product. Where were we? Oh yes, just pulled the "burned" peppers off of the heat. At this point, put the chilies in a container, covered, until they are cool enough to handle As it cools, the steam will loosen the skin for easier peeling. When the chilis are cool, lay them flat on a cutting board and scrape them gently with a knife (the skin should come right off). Carefully cut an incision and unfold the pepper so as to scrape off the seeds and ribs. You can now dice your peppers and store until ready to use (this can be done up to the day before).

Here we go...chili making time! You want to start by browning the meat. I use a cast iron dutch oven, an excellent choice for this dish for its rad conductive properties. Cast iron is maybe the best tool to overcome, in my opinion, the greatest obstacle to home cooking success: electric stove tops. I caramelized the onion pretty deeply, adding a dash of water at one point to prevent burning while prolonging caramelization time. When the onions got sexy I added the celery and jalapenos, sauteeing for a short while longer. While those cooked, I toasted some cumin seeds on the stove top in another cast iron pan. Toasting these seeds awakens their essential oils and makes the aroma nearly irresistible. The next step was to grind these seeds in my trusty mortar and pestle (which I don't utilize nearly enough, IMO). At this point the freshly ground cumin as well as the chili powder got tossed in and stirred until the fragrance filled the air. A little deglaze with red wine loosened up my pan, and at that point it was down to adding the rest of the ingredients.

I let the chili simmer for a little over an hour, until the stew was balanced between liquid and filling. The best thing to do at this point is to cool it down, let the flavors marry overnight in the fridge, and reheat to order the next day for optimum flavor...but obviously I couldn't wait. I served myself a heaping bowl with a little tomato and cilantro for garnish.

In case you're wondering, it was delicious. I can't wait to eat some for breakfast...with a fried egg on top! Mmmmmm....

Here is the secret formula:
February Chili
Yield: 2 Q (4-8 servings)

1 # 85/15 lean ground beef
1/2 # lean ground pork
1 T garlic oil
3 c onion, small dice
1 c celery, small dice
1/2 c jalapenos, seeded and minced
4 T cumin seed, toasted and ground
2 T chili powder
1/2 c roasted poblano, peeled and diced
1/2 c roasted Anaheim chilies, peeled and diced
1/2 c red wine (Malbec from Mendoza)
28 can organic diced tomatoes
2 c pinto beans, cooked and drained
2 c organic beef broth

garnish: cilantro and diced roma tomatoes

-Brown beef and pork. Drain pan, reserve meat.
-In the same pan, heat garlic oil and sautee onions until well caramelized. Add celery and jalapenos and continue to sautee until soft. Stir in toasted cumin and chili powder until wildly fragrant.
-Deglaze pan with the wine, stirring to dissolve the brown bits stuck to the pan. when mixture turns thick and resembles a marmalade add the tomatoes, roasted chilies, beans and broth.
-Bring the stew to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour until there is balance between the liquid and the filling and the sauce starts to coagulate.
-Serve immediately with cilantro and fresh tomato. Alternatively, cool down the mixture, let the flavors marry overnight, and reheat to order the next day.


So there you have it. I am happy with the results, for sure. And the best part, this recipe is totally slow-carb compliant. Give it a shot at tell me what you think.

some snow videos

These are not that impressive. But remember, this is Texas. We are ill equipped for this type of weather (as drivers on the streets all over town continue to prove).

Friday Mid-Day Report

Well, this morning was interesting to say the least. As it turns out I was cooped up from the time I got home from work yesterday afternoon until this morning (in the comfort of my well-heated apartment). I had no idea what I was about to encounter when I soon stepped out to head in for work.

I got up extremely early today (as in I ONLY hit the snooze button once rather than my customary six snoozes). On this morning, I had no appetite. I was almost reluctant to eat, but I knew it was imperative given the emphasis Ferris places on the subject of breakfast in his book. I whipped up a breakfast-in-a-cup (I have a feeling I'll be "enjoying" a ton of this for the next few weeks ;) consisting two scrambled eggs, the last of those damn SW black beans, a bit of kale sauteed in a dab of homemade roasted garlic oil, and a few walnuts to go along with some cinnamon-spiked coffee. It was tasty, but if I'm being honest I really had to force the whole thing down. Oh well, down the gully.

As open the front door, to my shock everything my eyes could identify in the dimly lit morning was blanketed by snow! I guess I didn't get the memo that Austin was going to turn into the North Pole overnight. So naturally because of the inclement weather I would turn around immediately, call in to work, and get back into bed, right? Nope. I don't know what drug I was on that convinced me to go in, but I did. The drive was definitely an adventure (the folks that are not used to these sort of conditions stand out when you see a truck going 70 down an icy highway), and 8 strange hours later I left to see most of the snow had melted away and left us with a perfect Austin winter day.

I picked up a few groceries. A good habit of mine that I STRONGLY recommend to those who want to eat more home-cooked meals versus eating out as much is to prep your produce FIRST thing when you get home from the grocery store. Spending that little extra time will leave you with a stocked fridge of prepared veggies that are ready to be steamed, sauteed, grilled or whatever. This will cut down on your cooking time vastly throughout the week (a common gripe is that cooking at home is too time consuming). This process also leaves you with a pile of vegetable ends and trimmings that can be dropped in a pot, covered in water, and made into a stock. If you prepped your veggies one at a time, you wouldn't be left with enough ends to justify making a stock, and consequently most of the pieces would end up being discarded (a good cook wastes nothing).

Anyways, enough for now. I'm going to try to force down some food and go on living my life.

Day Three: February 3, 2011

At the midway point of week one I am feeling great. My energy has been surprisingly high considering I have averaged 4-5 hours of sleep this week. It could be the absence of carbs or the tremendous quantity of coffee/yerba mate I've been drinking (or both!). Either way, everything is ship-shape so far.

I actually got a workout in today! Much appreciation to my buddy Ben for the personal training session. It was nothing huge, just a few kettle bell swings, crunches, pushups, shoulder presses (all in the confinement of my apartment due to the RIDICULOUSLY cold weather). It felt nice to get the blood flowing, but needless to say I cannot wait for this bullshit winter blast to end so we can all go outside again!

Three meals was all I could muster today. However, I don't feel cheated on my calorie consumption. These were some monsters (as the photos illustrated). Here was today's itemized menu:

water: 10 c
-coffee (2 c)
-yerba mate (3 c)
-eggs (3 ea)
-cottage cheese (1/4 c)
-sauteed onions/red pepper (1/2 c)
-turkey bacon (2 ea)
-curried cauliflower (2 c)
-lamb vindaloo (1 c)
-red lentil dahl (2 c)
-romaine (3 c)
-grilled chicken (4 oz)
-avocado (1/2 ea)
-roma tomato (1 ea)
-carrot (1/4 c)
-roasted poblano (1/4 c)
-salsa fresca (1/4 c)
-sw black beans (1 c)
-red wine (1 c)

I had a thought: despite the fact that I have been peeing every 30 minutes, I feel as though I need to drink more water. Ten glasses is a decent amount, but with all the coffee/tea going down my gullet and the massive amounts of protein I am consuming, I feel like I need to do better. We can't drink enough water, right? I will try to make this an area of focus and shoot for at least 14-16 cups tomorrow.

Another thought: I need to eat more vegetables. I am content with the discipline I've had thus far, resisting a few temptations and sticking to the letter of the law. However, as I glance at the list above what stands out to me is the quantity of animal protein I've consumed in relation to vegetables. Chicken, turkey bacon, lamb, not to mention the eggs, cottage cheese and even the avocado, stand out against the cauliflower, peppers, and lettuce. It's almost a 1:1 ratio! Where are the veggies!?! After all, this is a diet, isn't it? Although nothing on this list is against the rules, I am going to try and include one vegetarian meal per day to start. We'll see how that goes.

Full steam ahead into the weekend. Only two more days until the Super Bowl, and, more importantly, CHEAT DAY #1!!! I've already committed to making chocolate covered bacon for the game. I doubt that will be the worst of my damage. Ciao.

Day Three: Pictures

Breakfast:

This is how I kicked off day 3. Behold, breakfast in a cup: Scrambled eggs, sauteed red bell peppers & onion, peppered turkey bacon and cottage cheese. All washed down with a hot pot of loose leaf yerba mate. Mmmmm....



Lunch:

Don't be fooled, you're not looking at a dish from the Clay Pit. That, my friends, is homemade Indian-inspired food (I am reluctant to call it Indian food because it is not Indian food. It is my own bastardized version of Indian food. In no way do I claim to have a clue about the methods and traditions that create true Indian cuisine. I'm sure someone somewhere would be greatly offended by my creation.)

What exactly are you looking at? The dish centers around my version of Lamb Vindaloo*. The sauce contains onion, garlic, chilis, curry, spices, wine and pureed tomatoes. If it looks spicy it's because it IS spicy. As Hell. Accompanying the lamb is some leftover red dahl with tomatoes as well as curried cauliflower with kale from Day One.



Dinner:

Another night, another taco salad. This one is similar to yesterday, although tonight I omitted the cottage cheese and instead substituted some carrots (good move for the morale). The lineup includes: romaine lettuce, southwest black beans, grilled chicken, salsa fresca, roma tomato, avocado, carrots and roasted poblanos.




Lamb Vindaloo
yield: 1#

1# Lamb stew meat
1 t curry powder
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
3 T grapeseed oil
1 c sweet onion, diced
2 T serrano, minced w/ seeds
1 T garlic, minced
2 T special curry powder
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin, toasted
1 T paprika
1 T coriander, toasted
1 T ginger
1 t cayenne
1 t crushed red chilis
¼ c red wine (malbec)
8 oz organic tomato sauce
¼ c cilantro, chiffonade

-preheat oven to 375.
-toss lamb with curry powder, black pepper and salt. brown well, in batches, in 1 T grapeseed oil. reserve lamb onto a plate, covered, and discard pan juice. return pan to medium heat.
-puree remaining 2 T grapeseed oil with onion, garlic, serrano, curry, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, ginger, and red chilies to form paste. saute for a few minutes until highly aromatic.
-deglaze pan with wine. stir in tomato sauce and bring to simmer.
-add lamb to sauce, stirring to combine. place pan in the oven and stew for 30 minutes.
-garnish with cilantro. serve.



*Vindaloo gets its name from the Portuguese words 'vinho'(wine) and 'alhos' (garlic), both of which are included in the dish. Vindaloo is a dish native to the southwestern Indian state of Goa, a former Portuguese colony.