Chicken with.... a bunch of spices:

Hey peoples, I have a recipe that I tried out today. It was the result of a culinary adventure/experiment. One that I would have to say ended rather well. I will figure out a way to make it better/tastier. This will feed two people. You can make this meal per recipe and divide it into halves. Save a half for another meal.

• 2 chicken breasts (cut into strips no more than 1cm thick)
• 4 carrots (julienned, keep as lengthy as possible)
• 4 stalks of broccolini  (about half a bunch) 
• 1 can of lite coconut milk
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp corriander seed
• 2 tsp ground ancho pepper
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 2 tbsp tandoori spice
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• salt & pepper to taste

Combine chicken, 1tsp of [garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, corriander, and ancho] and 1 tbsp of [ginger and tandoori spice], all the oil and mustard. For best results, allow this mixture to marinade for at least 2hrs, but can be done within minutes of mixing. In a non-stick sauce pan, place chicken and allow to cook for about 10 to 12 minutes (stir occasionally) on medium-high heat. Add can of coconut milk and remaining ingredients, except for carrots and broccolini, let simmer for 5 minutes at medium heat. Place the carrots and broccolini atop the the chicken and cover. After 3 to 5 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want your veggies) stir/mix everything in the pan and turn off heat. Your food is ready. 

Bon Appetit!

Now on to pertinent issues of the moment.

MUSCLE MILK - Is meant to be pre/post workout. I did mention to everyone that it is not Paleo, but it was permissible within this challenge (as are protein bars, and milk, and legumes for the vegetarian peoples). Try not to go above one serving a day. Also, try to have it within an hour of your WOD. It is OK to have at night, but realize that you don't really need too many nutrients to fuel for sleep, unless you happened to workout late in the evening. 

FRUIT - Or should I say "lack thereof". Listen guys, I know that it is tough to get through this first week. Try to stay fast; try your darndest. This is your challenge, prove to yourself that you can stick it through. However, before you crumble and end up devouring a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese (ahem, ahem), I much prefer that you have yourself a piece of fruit. Stay Paleo! This is your challenge, don't let yourself down.

SIDENOTE

S L E E P - If you eat anything, try not to sleep within 3 hours. The reason for this - if you do fall asleep within 3 hours of a meal, your body is more likely to store/convert the nutrients as fat.


- El Leon Negro

Please sir, can I have more...

Ok. I have heard that a few peeps have been having a displeased gutworm.

Bottom line... you are hungry.

Is it normal for you to be hungry? ...... Ummmm.... yes, yes the heck it is.

A major influencing factor in your hunger is your "brain-nugget". Yup, I said - it's all psychological. Ok, not completely. You are hungry(er) because you are focused on eating. You have been spending significantly more time thinking about food within the last several days than you typically would be. Also, when you do get hungry eyes, you typically (and mindlessly) grab a quick [whatevers in your fridge] and shove it in your face hole. Another reason why you  are hungry, is quite simply because you aren't eating enough (duh). Remember that 1 cup of rice equates to the caloric density of six cups of spinach. Therefore, you should up your calorie intake. As I told [Mike Jeng. Who? Mike Jeng.] earlier today - have a snack and a beverage other than water; and like I told Suzzy - grab yourself a handful of nuts (oh, grow up people!). 

A quick address on another weekend comment

Sorry, I had to do it!

I'm kinda headachey : yeah, thats the "withdrawl effects" from all the sugar you usually consume. Remember how I said this week was going to be a detox? You'd be amazed how dependent we are on  If you need a sugar fix, get one of the borderline vegetables, like bell peppers (the red and orange ones tend to be the sweetest). It is amazing how sweet a bell pepper can taste.

Tips for suriving the day:

• Drink H2O with your meals. Have coffee, tea, mineral/sparkling water with your snacks. Besides, thirst is sometimes misconstrued as hunger. That is why I have my first coffee at least an hour after I eat breakfast.
• Chew some gum. Sometimes, the psychological effect of chewing helps. It falls along the same as downing a whole tub of popcorn without thinking as you watch the tube - you have an oral fixation.
• If you are really hurting, have a diet soda, but limit these types of drinks as best you can (artificial sweeteners).

I chose to start on the weekend for several reasons (I'll get into that a bit later). Most people are more productive during the workweek, so hopefully you'll keep busy and focus on other things. The worst are the first couple of days. It will get better. You guys are doing great!

Keep it gangsta

-The Black Lion

Approx 3lbs of Carrots

Cauliflower Mashed "Potatos"

1 whole cauliflower (or 1 bag of frozen)
1/4 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp vegan cream cheese
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder


Cut cauliflower into florets and gently steam for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Transfer to a food processor or strong blender with remainder of ingredients. Allow motor to run until it's smooth and creamy like mashed potatos, stopping periodically to scrape the sides and break apart large chunks. Also add more almond milk if necessary to get the mixture to full incorporate. Once fully incorporated, smooth and creamy: taste, adding more onion or garlic powder as desired, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Paleo Challenge: day #1

Day 1 is over... just 41 days to go :-)

What I ate today:

Breakfast: Muscle Milk smoothie with almond milk

Lunch: Hardboiled egg, a couple celery sticks (I wasn't too hungry)

Snack: Carrot Juice (yeah, just got a brand new juicer), and a handful of nuts.

Dinner: Chicken thighs with asian marinade, sauteed chinese broccoli, one large carrot.

I'd have to say that today went by well, but we'll see what the end of week #1 is like (hopefully I'll still be singing the same tune). How did everybody else fair?

Intro Speech to the Paleo Challenge:

What up chicks and dudes?
The Blog is back like a Big Mac Attack. I have not used this blog in quite a while but I plan on being fidelotous from here on out. Previously, I was using this site for my run training. It will still be used for me to occasionally post my run WODs and for my occasional bits of [get your learn'on], but now it will also be a web-command central for our Paleo Challenge. Like you may have heard me say - It is is easier to do things when you know that you are not alone. Some of you can take this as "misery loves company", but I will tell you right now that you are looking at it through the wrong lens if that is your intitial opinion on it. Going Paleo is not torture nor some type of punishment; it is an opportunity! An opportunity to learn more about yourself, your ability to be disciplined, and to learn the role that adequate nutrition plays in your athletic performances and your activities of daily living.

I've said it before, " YOU CANNOT OUTPERFORM SH!TTY NUTRITION". Giving your body the best foods that have been proven to provide better output is comparable to using high octane gas in a high performance vehicle! (pssst, that high performance vehicle is your body)

The Paleo Challenge is now in effect. The preliminary rules and guidelines have been established and shared. Now what? Don't worry your pretty little monkey heads, I wouldn't just throw you in the deep end of the pool and leave you there to sink or swim (OK, maybe I would, but I am not this time). This is why I decided to reinstate this Blog site. As I mentioned just a few lines ago, this blog is now multi-purpose. If you are part of the challenge, send me your email address, and I will grant you access to the blog. In this blog, you can enter your thoughts, ramblings, or any other pertinent information. For the love of crap, don't leave a bunch of BS on the pages for people to read. This isn't your FB or twitter! Nobody cares that this movie on TBS has you lol'ing to the point that your stomach hurts, or about "mmmm appletini", or that you have the best dog in the world because it sits up like humans do and it is just soooo bloody cute (at least I don't). Tell us what you ate in order to stay Paleo today, share a great new recipe, put together a potluck - do anything that will ensure your and everybody else's success. This is your challenge make the most out of it and stay on task. Don't lie to yourself and don't cheat yourself. Nobody loves you as much as you do, so do something good for yourself.

-Manni
The Black Lion




ps - Me and comments are like fat kids and twinkies. Do I need them? - No. Do I want them? - Hell yeah! 
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